Heaven, Hell, & Venus
by hrgamegirl87
Summary: A year after the final episode, Mina is ready to fall in love, even if the Negaverse is getting stronger. What about the mysterious stranger suddenly in the Scouts life & and what does the Negaverse want with him? Complete, to be re-written soon! 5&6: M!
1. Chapter 1

I don't own Sailor Moon or its characters, except for those that I create! If you have any questions or requests, please put them in the review! Enjoy!

Chapter One

"_Prince of Pluto…my son…murderer…" The tall, voluptuous redhead with his eyes grinned at him, embraced him._

_His sword was heavy in his hand, stained with blood of the enemy…_

EJ jolted awake, the images of fallen soldiers, their shields scarred from defending against his magic and steel, grey uniforms stained with their own blood fading from his memory. Because they had haunted his dreams for the past few months, he shrugged off the feeling of the images being memories instead of dreams, but couldn't shrug off the surge of despair, pushed them away with his intense two-hour work out, building strength and speed.

He got into the shower of his apartment, stepped out minutes later, freshly cleaned and shaved away the stubble on his slightly hollow cheeks, strong jaw and chin, padded comfortably naked to the small chest of drawers and retrieved his outfit of loose but clean jeans, a white undershirt that molded his muscular torso but loosened on his arms. He had pulled on his dark blue t-shirt when a knock sounded on his door. "It's open," he called and inwardly groaned when Jane Stuart leaned on the doorway, her new and disgustingly thug-like boyfriend just behind her. "Forget something?"

Jane tried to hide the attraction she suspected she would always feel for her ex-boyfriend, forced down her shiver at his clipped British tone, or how the shirt held in all the right places, suggesting the rippling of powerful muscles she knew were beneath it. "I need a favor."

"Sorry, all out of those."

She blinked, surprised. "It's just a few dollars! Nothing major!"

He brought out a wrinkled pack of cigarettes, pinched off the first half of one and lit it. He was close to quitting, usually smoking maybe once a day. "You dumped me after cheating on me with Bobby there. That automatically disqualifies you from getting money from me."

"Royce," the new guy growled and sneered at the simple outfit. "What're you gonna do, go to class?"

"Whatever, it doesn't matter what your name is, Roger." He looked at his ex. "Go hit someone else up, Jane. I'm done with you, just as soon as you give me back my key."

When he didn't look to be willing to back down, she unhooked it from her key-chain and gaped when he continued to hold out his hand. "What?"

"The other three copies you made. Fork them over." He chuckled darkly at her shock. "I know you made them, just in case we ever broke up so you could steal some of my stuff." When she handed them over, he tucked them in his pocket and guided her towards the door. "See ya," he said before slamming the door and watching them disappear from the peephole. He picked up his phone and went with impulse.

"Mister Thomas? I'm just about to start packing. I'll bring the keys to you in…two hours," he surmised and smiled slightly. "Yes, she gave them back, but I would warn the next tenant about her and get a new lock. Yeah, see you then."

After he called his friend at a moving company, he hung up the phone and set to work on packing

Mina sighed, her large blue eyes soft and dreamy as she stared at the publicity shot of the young man the international magazine called the third sexiest man younger than thirty. "He's an actor, a musician, trained in ballroom dance, and a model," she sighed to her friends and showed them the picture of EJ King as they walked towards Lita's apartment after school. "And he just turned twenty, just barely two years older than me."

Amy looked over Sailor Venus' shoulder and skimmed the article. "They say there was an investigation into his past whether or not he killed someone. All because he played a serial killer really well in a movie?" she questioned, curious.

Mina shrugged. She'd already read the article three times. "That's when it came out that he'd grown up on the streets and had a lot of bad stuff. Which is why he's so amazing, coming out of that background and becoming famous," she exclaimed. She didn't see her friend's roll their eyes, for she was looking at a picture, this one of him shirtless.

He was leaning against a tree with long and powerfully muscled and partially tattooed arms crossed over his muscular chest and the sunlight gleaming against his six-pack and tanned skin. He looked off into the distance, his chiseled jaw and strong chin clean-shaven, his firm mouth unsmiling and his intensely bright amber eyes partially hidden by the straight, almost-spiky locks of black hair, the rest styled to fall just beyond his broad shoulders.

EJ King was perfect. And when she looked up from her magazine, she squeaked in surprise just before she walked into a brick wall of a back, bounced off and skidded on her butt.

"Ouch!" she exclaimed and stared at the immediately offered hand. It was long-fingered and blunt-tipped with the ridge of callus signifying the owner was a musician, and large. "Oh my God!" she breathed when she looked into the intense amber eyes of her latest crush. "You…you're…umm…"

EJ lifted a dark brow at her stammering and couldn't get a glimpse of her face with all that silky blond hair fallen in her face. "Extremely sorry for being in your way," he finished for her with a small smile. Oddly enough, getting the better of Jane and what's-his-name put him in a very good mood—thus, the smile. "Look, this isn't the most comfortable position at the moment, so could take my hand to pull you up?" _Probably had buck teeth and a weak chin, maybe some extra facial hair_, he thought, which would be just his luck.

Dumbly, Mina laid her hand in his and noticed immediately that hers was much smaller. The next thing she knew she was on her feet and had to step back and still tilt her head back a little to see his face. "Wow, you're taller than you look in the magazines."

The smile was still in place, still as easy-going. "I usually am not six inches tall, sorry. Here, you dropped these." He stooped and gathered the magazine and her schoolbag, handed them to her after glancing at the cover of the magazine. His agent was still pissed he'd been voted third, but EJ had no issue with it, hardly ever did.

Then he froze after she got her hair out of her face, but just for a moment. Her eyes were huge, and a deep blue that seemed to glitter in the sunlight like her hair, which fell to mid-thigh. Her features were perfect, the straight nose, smiling mouth, slightly pointed chin, clear peaches-and-cream skin, and a long, willowy frame that held soft curves beneath the school uniform.

He'd never met someone so perfect. Gaining his composure with less speed than he'd like, he took her hand shook it. "Emerson J. King, miss…?"

Had he just introduced himself with his full name to her? "M-Mina Aino. These are my friends, Serena Tsukino and her fiancé Darien Chiba, Amy Mizuno, Raye Hino, Lita Kino, Trista Meioh, Michelle Kaioh and her girlfriend Amara Tenoh."

EJ greeted them all with a small smile and hello and realized his hand was still holding hers and a blush was rising on her cheeks. "Sorry." He opened his mouth to say something, anything that would come to mind, when his cell rang. "Great, look it was nice meeting all of you," he called as he stepped away for a sense of privacy.

They said the same and entered the building, Lita leading the way. Mina was the last to follow, a dreamy, star-struck look in her eyes. EJ glanced back at the entrance when the door closed and brought the phone to his ear. It was strange, the feeling that he'd met those girls and the man who was with them before. At a concert maybe?

"What?"

It was Tommy, his best friend and agent. "Whoa, someone's cranky."

"I repeat: what?"

There was a sigh on the other end. "Have you found a date yet for the ball in two weeks?"

"No, and why the hell did you sign me up for it? You know I hate formal events."

"Because you're the princess' favorite singer, and it'll be good press. Find someone or I'll do it for you while I'm on the look-out for myself." There was a moment of silence on EJ's end of the line. "EJ? Yo!"

"I've got someone in mind. Call you back when I get word." With that, he cut short his agent's protesting and moved towards the call box by the front door, skimmed it with the girls' names in mind, stopped at "Kino, L." He smiled when he saw that she was just a floor below and two to the right of his own apartment.

Serena swallowed the last of her cookie with a sigh. "Lita, that was great!"

The redhead blushed slightly, pleased as always at the praise of her cooking. "Thanks. Hey Mina, do you think EJ will like some, since he's apparently moved in the building?"

Mina lifted a brow at her teasing tone. "You're going to go find him aren't you? Want me to go along?"

"And watch you make goo-goo eyes at him? Not a chance!" With that, she race towards the door, Mina in hot pursuit as she opened the door and stopped short when EJ lifted his hand, apparently to knock. "Oh, hello!"

"If that isn't good timing, then I've no idea what isn't," he said easily and rubbed the back of his neck uneasily. "Miss Kino, can I talk to Mina for a minute?"

"Sure, and it's Lita."

Mina ignored the look, complete with wiggling eyebrows that Lita shot her before giving her the plate of cookies and closing the door after Mina stepped out into the hall. "Hi again."

He smiled. "Hi. I'd like to make up for knocking you down."

Her eyebrows rose in surprise. "It was an accident, so you really don't have to." _Please, please, please, ask me out!_

_Best to say it right out, or you'll never get the nerve. _"Would you like to go to the ball for Princess Dia with me in two weeks? I'm performing a few songs for her and need a date. And since I so rudely knocked you down—however unintentionally—I'd-"

"I'd love to," she interrupted. "Wait, what will I wear? Oh, I have to go shopping!" She turned and bolted into the apartment, back out into the hall and handed him the plate of cookies. "What time will you be picking me up?"

"The ball starts at seven, so at about six-thirty? But I'd like to get to know you better, so why don't I take you out to lunch this Saturday?" He grinned when she nodded her agreement and looked past her to the kitchen. "Oh, and Lita?"

The tall redhead looked up from her cookbook. "Huh?"

"Can you go with my agent? He's a pompous pain in the ass with a tendency to nag, so if you have anger issues, I'll take care of all the legal matters if you want to beat him up."

Lita laughed at that. "I'll be ready by six-thirty and I'll bring my issues with me."

He chuckled, lifted Mina's hand to brush his lips across her knuckles. "See you Saturday at the cafe by the arcade?"

_Maybe I should get knocked down by him more often if I'm going to go on dates with him that way..._"Sure. I'll see you around noon, okay?" He nodded and walked away, already munching on the cookies. She sighed, forgetting that she'd failed her math exam and decided it was a great day.


	2. Chapter 2

I still don't own Sailor Moon or its characters, despite my letters to Santa. Any questions, comments, or requests can be put in the review!

Chapter Two

It was amazing how long it took for Thursday and Friday to pass into Saturday, or how restless her dreams were on Wednesday night, mostly about him and his smile. The days had crawled by, the minutes seeming like hours, hours like days, and days like years until Saturday arrived. Mina fidgeted slightly as she brushed her hair, tying it back with the red ribbon but forgoing the bow as she had since the start of her sophomore year in high school, satisfied when it fell with its usual gleaming wave just past her rear.

She spun for Artemis. "How do I look?" He was her closest friend, had been since she was thirteen. He was also her best critic

He eyed the blue jeans and pink t-shirt she'd chosen to wear, the light application of make-up. "Fine," he finally said, though it cost him. Artemis and Luna both had expressed their sensing of power within EJ and their concern over Mina's clear infatuation with him.

Seeing the concern in his eyes, Mina sighed and sat beside him, deciding that her socks and shoes could wait. "Artemis, I'll be careful, okay? Just because he's a major hunk doesn't mean I won't."

The white cat winced at the term, looked up at her with his piercing blue eyes, the golden symbol of the Moon Kingdom flashing in the sunlight on his forehead. "Promise? There's something about him that's-"

Mina glanced at the phone, looked at the caller ID and furrowed her brow when she saw Serena's number. "Serena, what's wrong?" she asked as soon as she picked up the receiver.

"I think I know why EJ King looked so familiar!"

Mina winced at the squealing tone, but angled the earpiece so Artemis could hear as well. "Other than he's a celebrity, you mean?"

"Well, yeah! Do you remember the last night of the Moon Kingdom, when Beryl attacked?" Serena waited for Mina and Artemis both to agree and hurried on. "Well, I remember talking to a guy before talking to Darien while on the balcony and he looked just like EJ!"

Luna cut in on the other end now. "I believe that he's the illegitimate son of Queen Beryl and the King of Pluto from an affair, making him the half-brother of Trista and the Prince of Pluto! There's also a chance that he's the born holder of the Star Magic Crystal, giving him incredible power."

Mina groaned and cradled her head in her hands, the receiver resting in her lap. "Why can't I ever just meet a normal guy?" she complained as the headache started to thrum.

Serena grumbled at Luna, who'd apparently swatted the receiver away from her and spoke again. "Well, here's the thing: even though he's the possible son of Beryl and all that, I remember him fighting against her and the Negaverse and being one of the biggest helps in the battle before he was ambushed by all her generals and killed."

Mina perked up. "So he's a good guy?"

"I would hope so," Luna said. "But we don't know if he remembers anything or not. Maybe you could ask him?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, in between conversation and our rice curry. 'Say, EJ, I really liked your last film and have a crush on you. By the way, do you remember being part of something called the Moon Kingdom?'" She chuckled sarcastically. "Yeah, it'll go over really well."

Only Serena laughed at that.

* * *

The sky was clear and blue, the air fresh and light in its breeze. In the distance, he heard a bird singing. 

And damnit, he had a pisser of a headache.

The dreams were becoming more and more vivid, ending with the redhead calling herself Beryl laughing at him and offering her hand, just as he felt he strong urge to kneel before her. But the parts before it, of the ball where strangely familiar people dressed in ethereal formal wear danced and laughed and chatted, of the tall, slender woman with silver hair and an upside-down crescent moon on her forehead smiling kindly at him, of a bloody and painful battle were so _real_ that he swore he'd been apart of it.

Was it actually possible that they were memories of his past life He was debating it as he sat in the café by the window, all the while pressing the pause button his thoughts every time a fan spotted him and asked for a photograph. With automatic motions and a smile that was beginning to hurt his cheeks, he signed a notebook, autograph book, CD, magazine or picture, took pictures until he was left alone and continued to think.

Half of him wanted to just shrug off the disturbing images, but the other half…Something in him wanted to know if those dreams were really memories or just tricks his mind was playing on him.

"Track fourteen."

EJ looked up from study of his hands and looked up at the black-haired man who'd been with the girls Mina had been with. "Huh?"

Darien gestured to the CD he was holding, the first of EJ's two. "Track fourteen, 'Save me.' It really helped me out with a few problems a year or so ago."

EJ nodded, understanding. He'd been dealing with the plane crash of his entire family, of having been the only one surviving it as a child when he'd written it. "Glad to have helped. You're Darien, right? One of Mina's friends?"

He nodded and took the seat across from the celebrity. "Look, I'm gonna be cliché here and say if you hurt her, I'll break your legs without a problem, okay?"

EJ knew his eyes had cooled to the point of freezing and didn't care. "You can try, but point taken." He reached out, saw that the disk was unscratched with humor. "You bought a copy just to threaten me, didn't you?"

Darien shrugged. "It worked. Serena's gonna flip when she sees that you signed it, though," he added as he stood and took the newly autographed CD. "See ya."

EJ nodded and pinched the bridge of his nose to ward off his headache. "Jackass."

Mina lifted a brow at the muttered word and softly cleared her throat. Her pulse drummed at the intensity in his eyes before he immediately stood and smiled at her. "Bad fan?"

He glanced out the window. "No, just Darien warning me to behave myself." He watched, fascinated by the temper flashing in her eyes, before taking her hand. "Look, Mina, if I ever cross a line ever with you, let me know. I can't promise that I'll be a perfect gentleman, but I'll do my best."

She blinked in surprise, temper forgotten. "I wasn't going to go by what the tabloids say, about you being a charming playboy and stuff," she defended, sitting in seat facing his.

He returned to his seat and waited for her to order. "That's good. So, tell me about yourself."

Urged by his quiet attentiveness, the way he smiled or chuckled at the humorous parts of her story, she told him about her father, a company worker, and her housewife mother and cat Artemis, excluding her life since thirteen as Sailor Venus and that her cat could talk.

It was strange, but he found he was utterly relaxed around her. He'd been that way with Jane before she'd gotten bored of his surly attitude and cheated, but there was something about this one that told him she wouldn't do such a thing. That had to be why he was so relaxed, yet still dangerously attracted to her.

Mina thanked the waitress for the refill of her water and saw the young woman eyeing EJ as she walked away. He didn't seem to notice, his attention solely on her, which warmed her heart. "What about you? What's your story?"

Something cold, empty, and sad flashed in his eyes and he glanced away. "Haven't the magazines gotten it right yet?"

Mina saw the look and reached out to lay her hand on his. "They keep guessing. You don't have to if you don't want to," she added gently and stared when he stood.

"Let's go for a walk," he suggested with a small smile. It was the smile that made her stand, wait for him to lay a few bills on the table and pay the tab before leaving with him.

"You didn't want to talk about it with the people staring, huh?"

He nodded and waited until they had gotten to the cherry blossom trees and quiet to sit next to her against a tree. "I grew up in London," he started, knowing his voice had gone emotionless and soft. "I had two sisters and a brother, loving parents, the whole lot. We were going to go to Kiev to visit my grandparents-"

"Where?"

He glanced over at her quickly. "The capital of Ukraine," he murmured and lifted a hand to the ladybug that had fluttered onto her shoulder and watched it crawl onto his index finger, speaking even as it crawled up his hand to fly away before getting to his elbow. "I've Ukrainian, Irish and Welsh heritage. Anyway, the plane's first engine failed just over the Carpathian Mountains and we crashed. Everyone but me died almost instantly and I lost my memory of everything until my grandparent's arrived at the hospital and slowly reminded me of everything from pictures." He turned his head slightly to see her face, saw that she was to the point of crying and instantly felt guilty. "Mina, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" He trailed off when she shook her head.

_There was no way he could be part of the Negaverse_, she knew as she sniffed back tears. And darn it, she'd just fallen head over heels for him. "No, it's not your fault. I just feel so sad for you."

EJ brushed a thumb against her cheek to catch the tear that had fallen. "Don't cry for me, Mina. Anything that I can't remember all I have to do it touch something related to it and it comes back to me. That, or in dreams," he added and couldn't help but remember the dreams of late. He winced when he felt the sharp slicing pain that had happened in his dreams at his side and rested a hand where the pain was. "I think you know how I got to be a celeb," he attempted to continue, unaware of the thickening of his voice.

She looked at him, saw that he was removing his hand from his side. "Something wrong?"

He shook his head, the pain already gone. "Nope." A thought occurred to him and he chuckled. When she gave his a questioning look, he took her hand, holding it lightly in case she wanted it released. Relief spread through him when she laced her fingers through his and a blush rose on both their cheeks. "Mina, can I ask you two questions?"

"Sure."

"Are you upset that you bumped into me?"

She shook her head and smiled. "Nope. I've never been happier to bump into someone."

He smiled when she shifted to rest her back against his chest, tucked under the crook of his arm while their hands were still interlaced. "I've never been happier to have someone bump into me," he confessed and pressed a soft kiss to her temple. "Second question, do you think dreams can actually be memories of a past life?"

She tilted her head up to look at him. "Depends on the dreams, I guess." _Here goes nothing_, she thought. "Want to tell me about it? No judging, I promise."

Funny how he was smiling around her so much more than he did around the people he'd known for years. "I'll hold you to that. Most of the time, it's the same thing: I'm at this really weird party, knowing that I somehow belong but feel left out by my own choice. So I'm standing in the shadows, watching people laugh and dance with each other, thinking everything's picture-perfect. The next thing I know, I'm in this massive battle, with magic and stuff, and I'm doing most of the damage against these crazy-eyed guys in grey suits. I turn around and see a girl in an orange-trimmed and feminine sailor outfit fall down and not move and I just, I don't know, lose it." His heart was pounding at the images racing through him and he saw that Mina had straightened to face him with a serious look in her eyes.

He was remembering the last battle, she thought. He had to be. "What happens next?"

Running a hand over his face, EJ tiredly sighed. "Um…I see this redhead, the same one who keeps calling me the prince of Pluto and then it all goes black." He opened his eyes and saw the concern on her face, leaned forward. "Mina, it's just a dream. But I do think she was trying to get me to join her for something."

Mina lowered her gaze and bit her bottom lip. "Do you think you would have?"

"No. She…she seemed evil, in every sense of the word. Honestly, I think I would've rather died than join her, however melodramatic it sounds."

She shook her head quickly. "No, it doesn't. It sounds brave and courageous."

"Those are the same things," he said gently and lifted her chin with a finger. "Your eyes are troubled, Mina. I've upset you and I'm sorry for it." He shifted so he was on his knees like her and brushed back a strand of golden hair from her face. "I haven't known you for very long, but I swear I'll do my best not to hurt you."

"I'll hold you to that," she said, repeating his words and earned a smile. "You know," she said as they stood, knowing that she was expected home soon, "You should smile more often."

"I seem to do it more around you than anyone else," he admitted and chuckled at her blush. "Hang on," he said when his cell rang. "I'll ignore it if you want." Mina shook her head and was surprised when he shook his head as she made to give him privacy. "Tommy, what's up?"

"Well, glad you're in a good mood. I'm about to put you in a better one. Jane said she's your date."

Anger flashed and was controlled in a steely grip. "No, she's not. I have a date, and I told you on Wednesday that I did." Damn her, he thought, referring to Jane.

"But I bought her a dress and everything!"

"Then take her as your date and I'll get Lita another ticket for her own date. I'm not having anything to do with Jane Stuart anymore." He saw the confusion on Mina's face and mouthed that he'd explain in a minute. "No, Tommy, I don't care what she said. She took advantage of me and what I felt for her at the time and I done with her and the business. I'll do charity events and the photo modeling, but I'm my own boss. Not you."

"You're just being difficult."

"And you're one shot away from being fired. Tell Jane that I'm done with her and to get another date."

"Just one more thing: is it a new girl?"

EJ looked at a concerned Mina and smiled, lifted his free hand to caress her cheek. "Yes. I…Tommy, I won't talk about her with you. She's…hell, she's perfect."

"Maybe I should meet her." There was a leer in his voice and EJ heard it and was disgusted and furious.

"Good-bye, Tommy." EJ disconnected and folded his slim phone and put it into his pocket. "Jane Stuart, my ex, told my agent that she's going to the ball with me. Does Lita have a good sucker punch?"

"One of the best. I'll tell her to use it as much as she wants."

He chuckled. "Good." He sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose and found that he didn't have a headache. "Well, that's-"

"Did you mean that?"

He looked at her, found her breathtaking in the setting sunlight. "About you being perfect? Absolutely."

She cocked her head to the side a little. "You're not trying to charm me so you can kiss me good-night?"

"Nope, just telling the truth. Although that would be a perk to it," he admitted with a wink. As she laughed, he stepped forward, laid a hand on her shoulder. "Well, now that you've put the thought in my mind, I won't be able to stop thinking about it. So…"

Her eyes widened when he cradled the back of her head with a hand, shut tightly when his lips, firm and only a little warm, brushed hers. His skin was a little cool from the breeze that lifted her hair, rustled his own, firm over muscles she felt as her hands lifted to rest on his biceps were powerful and comfortingly capable.

She found herself unable to think, unaware of the breeze or the cherry blossomed trees anymore, unable to feel anything but EJ's arms around her, holding her so gently that she got the suspicion that he half-expected her to bolt in disgust, the feel of his muscles and his lips on hers.

Other lips had touched hers, but Mina knew that no other kiss had ever been as powerful and sweetly gentle as this one. She sighed when his fingers threaded through her hair and the kiss shifted into another, just as sweet, as powerful yet gentle but with the tantalizing hint of controlled passion, reached up to tease the ends of his hair, found it surprisingly soft, despite the spikes.

He'd only meant for it to be a light brushing of his lips against hers, but once they'd touched, as soon as the shockwave hit him and made her tremble, that idea simply flew from his mind. Knowing that he was apt to letting his passions control him, he'd held back and was surprised that the gentleness had come naturally for him in her case.

Slowly, though it cost him, he drew back, waited for her eyes to flutter open, dazed as he was. "I…wow." He settled for that, since nothing intelligent would come to his mind.

She was equally numb-brained. "Yeah, wow. Big wow, but a happy wow."

He chuckled and rested his forehead on hers briefly. "You have to be perfect in order to make the simple word 'wow' sound so great," he murmured and pressed another kiss to her lips.

"Stop doing that!" she exclaimed, frustrated by the stupefying effect. When she explained just that, he grinned and kissed her again, just for effect. "Darn you," she whispered, shivering from the heat snaking through her.

He grinned still and slipped off his leather jacket, let her slip her arms through the sleeves and laughed when she was completely dwarfed in it. "It's never looked better," he admitted and loosened his fingers from hers as they passed a tree to pluck a full blossom from a branch and tuck it in her hair.

"That's cheesy," she accused with a fond smile while touching the blossom. "How'd you know I was a sucker?"

He shrugged and sent a small wave to the shutterbug from across the street. "Paparazzi," he muttered and kept his face as it had been. "They're actually really nice if you're the same with them."

Mina nodded and waved at the man as well. "How was that?"

Had Jane hated the paparazzi? He couldn't remember and didn't care. "Great. You want to get a cab, or keep walking?"

She smiled sweetly at him and the camera caught the soft look on the international bad boy's face. "I like to walk. Besides, it's only a few blocks and my mom wants an autograph to show to the book club and a chance to meet you, so keeping the cab waiting won't work."

"Oh, so you went on the date just to use me?" The grin was playful as he tickled her ribs lightly, causing her to giggle. It had to be the sweetest sound he'd ever heard.

"No! I mean, it was the only way she'd let me go out with a twenty year old!"

"You're eighteen, though," he said as they turned the corner and entered her neighborhood. "Am I gonna have to charm her to get you out on another date tomorrow and pick you up from school on Monday?"

She eyed him with interest. "Did you just ask me out again in a clever, not-quite-asking way?"

"Yep. But you didn't answer my question," he reminded her as they walked up her sidewalk. "Will you?"

"In a heartbeat," she answered without thinking and rose up on her tiptoes for a kiss. "How's that for you?"

Damn if he hadn't been expecting that. "Shocking, wonderful, and perfect come to mind. Hold on, I got one more question for you, Mina Aino."

Her brows lifted at his use of her first name. "What's that?"

Just keep up the corniness, his sarcastic mind told him as he took off the ring he wore on his right pinky finger. It was platinum with a winding band that resembled a vine. "The record company got this for me when my first album when triple-platinum. I want you to have it, on one condition."

Her eyes widened like saucers. "You're asking me to be your girlfriend?"

"Yeah. I'm not that great at this kind of thing," he admitted, shifting with discomfort. Was it just him, or was the white cat in the second floor window staring at them with disapproval? "And I know we've only been on one date."

"That doesn't matter," she murmured and smiled when he slid the ring on her thumb, only to catch it when it fell off. "Here, we can put it on my necklace until I wrap enough string around it to make it fit. I never take it off," she said as he automatically moved behind her to unclasp it and slid the ring on the chain. "Here, take this," she said on impulse and pulled off the simple black band she wore around her wrist, fastened it around his.

He grinned down at her and kissed her with eager passion, breaking away to see her comically flutter her lashes and blink like she'd just woken from a dream. "You're my girlfriend," he mused and was simply awed.

"And you're my boyfriend. Now, let's go inside."

**_A/N: How'd you like it? Preview for Chapter 3: An old enemy escapes from the Negaverse with more strength than ever but not enough to take over the universe and get revenge on the Scouts--not yet. As her (massive hint there and in the summary!) forces attack an innocent group of people for their energy and the Scouts battle the monsters, something strange happens to EJ..._**

**_O.O What could happen? You'll have to wait and see!_**


	3. Chapter 3

To all the people who have read/reviewed/favorite-marked my stories: thank you, thank you, thank you! I really appreciate it and thank you for the support! I'm doing my best to add chapters as soon as I can and always enjoy getting reviews!

Like usual, I still don't own Sailor Moon or its characters except for those I create.

This one will be a bit longer than the previous two, fair warning…

Chapter Three

The darkness was comfort for her; it was cold and could be empty or full of anger and hate as she was. It was full of…potential.

To Queen Beryl, supreme ruler of the Negaverse and current plotter-for-revenge, the darkness was home.

"My loyal servants, my generals who have traveled from the dead to return to my side," she started, her powerful and slightly low voice ringing in the darkness of the palace she'd reconstructed with a wave of her staff. "Appear in front of me."

The air shivered briefly and three of her four generals appeared in front of her, the tallest being a tall and silver-haired man with sun-browned skin to the right, his lover and a pretty green-eyed young woman with long curly blond hair beside him and the young man who could pass for her brother even if his eyes were a stormy blue. Only one, a tall and muscular red-haired man with blue eyes, was missing.

"Where is Nephrite?"

It was Jedite, youngest and still a little stiff from his crystallized sleep for years, even after his queen's vanquished return to the Negaverse, who spoke. "My queen, we suspect his absence is because of the way he had died by saving that silly human girl when Zoisite's warrior attacked him."

Beryl nodded slowly, disgust on her face. "Then he's a fool and we are in need of a fourth general for my armies. While I look for a candidate, gather energy for Metaria—she's very weak still." She fixed her eyes on Jedite, who was by far her most loyal of general's, while Malachite and Zoisite were often distracted by they own feelings towards each other. "Jedite, go."

He bowed low and vanished, eager to please his queen and prove his worth so long forgotten.

* * *

After spending half an hour with her parent's, EJ had politely refused the offer of dinner, claiming that he had to be getting back to his apartment to feed his dog, which was the truth. But Mavis, his shaggy-haired mutt he'd gotten at the pound at just a pup some years ago, could wait just a little bit longer for his supper, he decided when he spotted a strangely ethereal-looking fountain in a nearby park. 

This really was going a little fast, he thought, agreeing with her parent's spoken concerns. But his intentions, as he'd said clearly but kindly in the living room, were good. At least, that's what he guessed the constantly squeezing of his heart and the inability to get her out of her mind was. Purely good, he thought as he sat on the bench facing the fountain, resting his elbows on his knees and blowing his hands through his hair.

Then why, if it was so good, was he scared to hell that something bad was about to happen?

"_What kind of pets do you like?" EJ asked as he sat against the tree with her resting her back against his chest, his arms wrapped comfortably around her waist._

"_I have a cat named Artemis, but I like birds too. What about you?"_

_He smiled slightly when she lowered her hands to lift his and studying his rough skin. "Shaggy mutt named Mavis that I found at the pound a couple years ago, but I like cats, too. So does Mavis, strangely."_

_She looked at the jagged scar on the inside of his forearm. "Chasing them?"_

"_No, just treats them like everyone else, the big dope. He's not stupid, but he's extremely trusting, like he can sense if someone's good or not."_

_She nodded, understanding. "Color and food?"_

_He liked how she felt against him, so he was more than willing to stretch out the time. "Blue and anything that tastes good."_

"_Yellow and orange, and pasta and curry," she responded to his silent question. "Likes and dislikes?"_

_He made a thoughtful sound deep in his chest. "Honesty, humor, entertainment and lying, forced decisions, show-offs."_

"_Sports, dancing, games and show-offs." She paused and lifted his wrist that held his watch. "We'd better go. My parents want me home in a while."_

EJ sighed, looked into the water and felt the calm spread into him like a welcome breeze over heated skin. The vaguely silver water had a certain sparkle to it that eased his whirling mind, slowed his racing heart. He was just paranoid about being cheated on, his mind reasoned with him, and his pride had been wounded so it was hesitating towards the feelings he had for Mina.

"You always were quick to decide and stay with those decisions," a smooth, impossibly regal and soothing voice said from…the fountain?

He straightened, looking around. The park was empty but for him. "Who said that?" he demanded and jolted when the medium-sized ball of water rose from the fountain to float in front of him. "Jesus, I've lost my mind. There is no way that a ball of water has just come out of the bloody fountain and stopped in front of me. And is that a bloody woman in there?" His voice had raised a half-step in panic. This meant that his dreams were real!

"Yes, they were real," the voice said again. "They were memories of your past life during the Silver Millennium, Prince Emerson of Pluto, son of Queen Beryl, supreme ruler of the Negaverse and King Plateaus of Pluto and ruler of the Pluto Kingdom. More specifically, of the last day of the Silver Millennium, though I doubt you have remembered wholly. Would you care to?"

It was a choice, he knew, that would change him forever. If he chose to walk away and swear to lay off the coffee, then he'd lose the chance to maybe become what he always thought he could really be. But if he chose to accept the offer, he had a feeling that the memories would be painful…

"Yes, show me everything." And he had vanished into the past as soon as he'd finished speaking.

_**

* * *

**_Emerson wasn't quite sure how they would react, not after being away for so long. Perhaps they would shun him for the scars he bore with no more pride or guilt than his fellow warriors, or perhaps they would welcome him with the warmth he had always thought natural to… 

"Prince Emerson!"

He was jolted from his thoughts at the sight of the always regal, always serenely beautiful Queen Serenity rushing towards him, her long silvery hair in the royal hairstyle of two well-placed and secured balls of hair that created a pig-tail like look flying behind her like her soft-lilac dress. Her face was lit with joy seconds before he caught her and hugged her closely, pulled back at her wince against his armored prince's uniform.

"My queen," he murmured and caught the joyful tears on her cheeks with his thumbs to brush them away. "You cry for a warrior-prince?"

Serenity laughed softly. "I cry for joy that the prince who is as a son like my blood daughter is such to me has finally returned from the border wars. And I cry because of the worry you had perished during the years of you fighting. But I am mostly happy."

He chuckled and hugged her again, knowing only a very few had been permitted to do such a thing, the Moon Princess one of them. "I am well, and I am here, so there isn't a need to cry."

How wise and strong he had become, Serenity thought as she looked at his face, toughened by battle but still heartbreakingly handsome, his hair long enough to go just past his shoulders in reckless spikes only barely shaded the Plutonian emerald when the light struck his hair just right. "You are well?"

He nodded and caught sight of the young woman a younger version of the queen with silver-gold hair running towards him as well and caught his surrogate sister in a whirling hug. "Serena!" he exclaimed, calling Princess Serenity by her nickname, with the same joy he had with the princess' mother and felt his spirits, long-dampened by the bloody battles on the borders, soar. "Look at you, how you've grown!" he said, appraising her as she turned elegantly for him at his request. "If your heart wasn't for the Earth's prince, I would hold it forever and a day."

The Moon Princess giggled and looked at his hands, at the bracelet always on his wrist. It held the Star Magic Crystal, giving her 'brother' his powers to transform into his warrior-form. "Have you been to Earth lately? Did you see Prince Darien? What did he say to you?" Her hands were a great contrast to his own, her skin smooth as silk and his rough with calluses and scars. "You're hands are hard. The battles were difficult? Did you defeat the enemy? Can you tell me-"

She was cut off by his chuckle and her mother's soft laughter. "Sweet Serena," he said, closing his fingers over hers gently. "Still asking so much and wanting answers so quickly." He sighed at her earnest look. "I just flew in from Earth, to be honest to inspect the uprising reports from there—a thing that I must discuss with you, my queen—and spoke to the prince, yes. He said he hopes to see you at the party tonight and sends this rose," Emerson continued after plucking a full red rose from his pocket, protected by his magic from crushing. "Battles are always difficult and most enemies come across were defeated." He smiled as she sniffed the rose, love washing over her face. "And I won't tell you details, no."

Serenity laughed again, her hand comfortably on the young man's shoulder. "Can you take off your armor?"

He nodded and with a simple will of his mind it vanished so he was wearing a simple black outfit that both accented and down-played his muscularity and power. His sword, however, was still at his hip, the only insistence that he had. "Better, my queen?" They both watched as Serena, only a few years younger than Emerson's twenty, rushed towards the four young women her age or just a little older who were her court as well as guardians. "You know my father fell in battle by my mother's hands?"

Serenity nodded, knowing and appreciating his wanting to shield her daughter of the news. Plateaus had been like a loving uncle to Serena and it would have broken her heart, possibly more than it had his own daughter and Emerson's half-sister Trista. Considering the thought, the queen changed her mind as to the subject. "I do and I am sorry to hear it. He was a great man, kind and fair to his people, strong and courageous in battle."

Emerson nodded silently since his tears and grief long-expressed two years ago. "He was, but of the reports from Earth. She has turned Darien's guardians into her services and most of the people, who are angered by the love between the prince and princess. I fear they plan to attack soon, if not tonight." He saw the sadness on the queen's face and knew that he had had no choice in giving the news, despite his guilt. "I will fight here."

Serenity looked up from her idle study of the pathway with surprised joy in her eyes. "Then there is a stronger chance we will survive." She smiled then, knowing he was tired and hungry from his travels. "Come, let's take you to the relaxation chamber and then feed you."

The party was elegant and wonderful to Emerson's eyes. Of course, he stood on the outskirts of the dance floor, leaning against the strong stone pillar and partially hidden in the shadows, but he was content to watch. The dance floor was a battlefield even he wasn't brave enough to venture onto.

"So the great warrior-prince has returned?"

He looked away from watching Serena and her prince dance, his mind and eyes sharp enough to read her expression of love and sorrow and to know the prince from Earth was telling her the basics of what he had told Serenity. For a moment—a very dangerous moment—his breath caught as the princess of Venus smiled up at him in her soft-looking golden gown, just shades lighter than her hair and making her blue eyes shine. "For a time, yes." A small smile lifted the corners of his mouth. "Sarcasm suits you, princess.

She knew that he wasn't exactly well-known for his long speeches and liked to keep his answers short and to the point. "Is it true, what I have heard from Earth? That there is a possible-"

"Yes, to both questions, Princess Mina," he interrupted with a soft edge in his voice. "The queen knows and Darien is now informing…damnation, look at the Earth!"

There was a thin shadow emerging from it, growing larger and larger by the moment. Her eyes widened at the sight. "What is it?"

"Arm yourselves, prepare for battle," he murmured and instantly transformed into his armored self. Moments later, there was death and devastation and all were lost but for himself, the queen, and her two advisor's.

"Give up your power!" Beryl yelled, seeing that her son, her own flesh and blood was getting weak from repeatedly—but surprisingly strongly—fending off attacks on the queen. "Give it up and join us in the Negaverse!"

Fresh rage gave him energy he decided to conserve in defensive tactics. "Never," he growled and crushed the windpipe of a sneaking soldier with a simple flick of his wrist. "My powers are for the good and pure, not the twisted whores of evil!"

Then everything went dark.

_**

* * *

**_"Look out!" 

Mina looked up and rolled away just in time to avoid taking a claw to the chest. "Okay, this is seriously getting old," she called to her fellow Scouts as they all avoided getting impaled. They'd been on the defensive since being alerted of Negaverse activity in the park a dozen blocks away from Mina's house and becoming their Sailor Scout alter egos with Tuxedo Mask fighting with them. Even he couldn't get an attack in.

Raye ducked a claw and attempted an attack, only to have to evade another claw. "We need an advantage and we're not getting it!"

Suddenly, there was a crash in the trees and the seven monsters, feral and in multiple colors, and the Scouts looked in the direction of the sound before the monster's continued their attack. Amy cried out when a claw struck her in the shoulder and pinned her against a tree.

"Mercury!" the cries rang out as her energy was beginning to be drained. She was helpless since the others were busy.

Slowly, she lifted her head and stared at the black-clad and hooded figure who stepped out from the trees, obviously the source of the previous crashing sound. "Who…are…you?" she groaned, crying out when a gloved hand jerked the energy-draining claw from her shoulder.

"A friend," was the murmured reply as a booted foot crushed the claw and promptly returned her energy. "Whoa, easy, Sailor Mercury," the voice murmured when she sagged against him weakly. "Just rest against the tree for a bit," he said, leaning her against it and turning to the battlefield.

Mina gasped when the hooded figure that had saved Amy appeared behind the monster just about to impale her and was thrown violently away and into the other monsters. "Who are you?"

A gloved index finger was held up. "Get to that in a moment," was the reply as he turned to the clearly pissed off monsters, drew a long, slightly curved sword, shifted into a calm and confident position at guard. "En guard," he murmured as they rushed him and sent his sword singing, skillfully blocking claws and slicing leather-like skin in strategic places until the monsters were virtually paralyzed or dusted by his beheading of them. The Scouts gaped at his skill, his almost angry strikes against the monsters, winced when he was sliced in the back once and cheered when he killed the monster that had gotten through his guard.

He looked up from the monsters lying on the ground towards Serena. "Care for the honor?" he called to her.

"I'd love it!" And with a few waves of her weapon and an echoing cry, the monsters had been terminated. Then she stared at the figure, his face hidden by the hood of his black cloak, his body obviously tall and muscular beneath the slightly loose black garments. "Who are you?"

The figure turned and saw that Amy was still struggling to stand and walked over to her, a dagger drawn. When she recoiled, he shook his head. "You've been poisoned, Sailor Mercury. I'll be as gentle as possible," he murmured and thinned the blade until it fit into the wound perfectly. When she whimpered, he held out his hand for her to squeeze. "A tip of the claw broke off," he muttered in annoyance and made a sound when he caught it on the curve of his blade, drew it out.

"I'm…feeling better," Amy admitted and saw that she was clenching his hand to the point where anyone would be yelping in pain. "I'm so sorry!"

The figure shook its head. "Don't be. Your grip is strong like your mind, a good combination on the battlefield. Heal," he murmured with a palm to her wound and a warm glow emitted from his hand, doing just that. When the glow stopped, she looked at him with clear eyes. "Better?"

She nodded. "Much, thank you! Who are you, though?"

There was a small chuckle from beneath the hood as he stepped away to the near-middle of the park. "A long time ago, during the Silver Millennium, I was a warrior against the evils that threatened the peace of our universe. I fell battling on the moon to protect your mother, Sailor Moon, and offer my allegiance and friendship to help against the returning of Queen Beryl." He bowed low at the waist and straightened just as quickly. "I am Shadow Knight, if you are searching for a name to call me by, but know I am a friend who will always watch and be ready to fight for you."

With that, before they could say anything else, he disappeared with a shimmer.

_Groaning_ from the pain in his shoulder, EJ stumbled up the short flight of stairs to the patio of his second-floor apartment, opened the door and collapsed on the bed, exhausted. When Mavis jumped on the bed, licked his owner's face, his reply was a grunt.

"Mavis, you can talk, I know you can." He sighed when his clothes were lifted off of him except his underwear and landed in the hamper nearby.

Miffed, the dog sneezed on his owner's neck. "Of course I can talk! I've only been waiting for you to remember everything and tap into your powers!"

EJ groaned again and couldn't find the energy to sit up. "I do and did, thanks to Queen Serenity. Just helped Sailor Scouts against a bunch of monsters," he murmured into his pillows, beginning to fall asleep. "Food's set in your bowl."

Mavis jumped down to see that it was and his favorite dish and started in on it with relish. "Don't…you…want to know," Mavis asked between swallowing, "Why I can talk?"

"You were my advisor during the Silver Millennium and were sent into a carbonated sleep to Earth to awaken when I needed you by Queen Serenity," EJ replied while turning to lie on his back. "I was supposed to have fought with the Sailor Scout at the same time they fought my mother, but you couldn't find the Star Magic Crystal band that Mina had all this time."

After gulping down his water, Mavis sat beside his exhausted friend and owner on the bed. His face was pale and shadows were forming under his eyes. "You gave it to her without knowing after you pledged your love to her fallen body, which was just a little creepy, if you ask me."

"This from the dog who drinks from the toilet," EJ muttered and forced his body to begin relaxing for sleep and ignored the snorting laughter. "I was too late then and I won't be too early now. Hell, I just remembered everything, Mavis! I'm just gonna…" he yawned and let the silky black warmth of sleep start to take over, "Take things day…by…day."

And he was out like a light. Mavis sighed, clamped his teeth onto the bed-sheet and dragged it up to cover his master's naked chest before curling up in a ball on his overstuffed pillow/bed at the foot of the bed. It was good to have his old and new master's back together…

_**

* * *

**_The nerves weren't supposed to be there as she paced the stone pathway in front of the temple. She shouldn't be nervous about her boyfriend meeting her friends, not when other things should make her nervous—namely, Beryl's return. 

"How is it possible she's back?" Raye was asking Luna and Artemis in an attempt to ignore Mina's dizzying pacing. "I thought Serena killed her!"

Luna shook her head. "No, she simply banished her to the Negaverse. Her powers weren't as strong as they are now, plus we need the powers of the Star Magic Crystal to destroy her forever."

Serena groaned. "And EJ's the one who supposedly has it, right? The guy who doesn't remember anything about the Moon Kingdom?" As though he'd been summoned, the man in question jogged up the steps to the temple, carrying a bouquet of sunny flowers.

"EJ!" Mina cried and was oddly overjoyed when she'd seen his face and rushed towards him, startling her friends and him as well from his thoughts.

He'd been wondering when he should tell her of his new alter ego, or if she was going to tell him of her own as Sailor Venus. He wasn't hurt, strangely enough, that she'd left that out; in fact, it was really logical of her doing so for her and his protection.

Then he'd seen her running towards him and all thoughts vanished except of her beauty. And when her lips pressed to his, even those vanished and there was only emotion. Joy, relief, even the hint of greed was put into the kiss and he felt his control wane.

He let out a soft, shaky breath after they'd broken apart from the all-too-brief embrace. "Maybe I should be a few minutes late from now on," he joked and visibly winced when she hit his shoulder. His self-healing abilities were still strong, but the wound was tender.

"What's wrong? You ok—you brought me flowers!"

The pain vanished quickly and he had the pleasure of watching her smell the flowers and used the time to reach into his jacket pocket for the fairly thick packet that had cost him an extra twenty minutes of wheedling and charming Princess Diamond. He hoped it was going to be worth it.

"You like-" He was cut off by her kiss and returned it with forced gentleness. It was getting harder to control his passion around her he realized and carefully replaced the packet into the pocket in his jacket. "I'll take that as a yes," he murmured as he lifted a hand to touch her hair.

"Come on, I want to re-introduce you to my friends!"

He found that he liked each of her friends in their own interesting ways: Amy with her quiet ways and intelligence, Raye with her serene passion and caring for those close to her, Lita with her toughness covering her almost maternal instincts for the others, Amara with her masculine-tendencies and caring for her quieter girlfriend Michelle, Trista with her mysterious air and clear caring for everyone. Serena was obviously very loyal and caring, but had a hint of serene strength to her and Darien, whom had yet to apologize for his threats earlier to him, was the strong and silent one.

The fact that all the girls were lookers was merely part of the bonus, he supposed, though his eyes were only for Mina.

He didn't catch the approving looks from the others, for he was busy stroking Luna and Artemis' fur. When they had first recoiled at his scent, he'd told the others of his dog and the cats had finally decided to approach him after he sat beside Mina after discarding his shoes. It had only taken a simple mental spell to erase whatever foul odor that would've been on his socked feet.

"You know, they're usually not that friendly to strangers," Serena commented after getting settled, eying the strange, box-like lump in his jacket. She smiled when Luna turned to glare at her, knowing that her cat wouldn't speak until EJ was out of earshot. She had every intention of milking it for its worth and the others knew it. "Actually they're grumpy most of the time around people they don't know."

Mina giggled, understanding what her friend was doing. "Artemis is the worst, though. I remember this one time…" EJ hid his knowing smile with an amused one as he lifted the cat's chins slightly by scratching them and sent them purring as Mina told a story on Artemis. "Wow, he really does like you!"

His smile was quick and full of charm. "Here, I have something for each of you," he said and drew out the envelopes from the package, passed them around. "Invitations to the ball in three days," he explained as the envelopes were opened. "Sorry I couldn't get the plus-one invites, but it was all I could manage." He looked at a starry-eyed Mina and felt a faint flush rising on his cheeks. "Um, is…is that enough time to get a dress?"

They nodded and immediately began to talk about their plans, continued to do so as EJ and Mina slipped away to the gardens.

"That was really nice of you," she finally said after they'd sat down on a bench that overlooked the water. "Did you do that because you wanted?"

He nodded and turned her towards him gently. "Mina, I know how important your friends are to you and that you felt a little guilty about them not going. I didn't want you to feel like that." His smile was gentle and loving as he lifted her chin so her downcast eyes were looking into his. "I want to make you happy, and if that means sacrificing two dances with you for the princess, so be it."

Her eyes began to shine with hope and love. "Really?" she whispered. His lips were nearly to hers and her breath was shortening, her eyes closing.

"Yes, really," he murmured and slid his hand from her chin to brush against her neck and found her pulse was racing before he gently cradled the back of her head. Unable to resist teasing her only a little, he brushed his lips over the corners of her mouth, heard her sound of frustration and smiled before capturing her lips. It was impossible for him to hold back all of his need, his passion for only her as they embraced. Still, when she made a whimpering sound in the back of her throat, he pulled back, sure that he'd hurt her and cursing himself for it.

"Mina, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

She shook her head, dazed and a little confused by the heat in her blood. Only once had she felt like this and never with such power, even though she hadn't acted on it. "Are you always hard on yourself?" she questioned and smiled up at him, scooted a little closer to him so she could rest her head against his chest. "Your heart's pounding really fast," she commented, noting that her heart was still doing the same.

"It seems you have that effect on me," he muttered and wrapped an arm around her shoulders to hold her close. How was he going to tell her he remembered everything? More importantly, when?

Love, he discovered as he shifted to kiss her again, was more complicated than he'd ever expected…

She sighed. Even if he wasn't Prince Emerson or the Shadow Knight, Mina knew it didn't matter. But if he was, wouldn't that be wonderful?


	4. Chapter 4

Still don't own Sailor Moon (darn you, Santa!) except my own. Thank you so much for the reviews, you guys! The songs included are Dashboard Confessional's "Stolen," and Disney's Tarzan's "Strangers Like Me," none of which I own, but dearly love.

This probably isn't my best one, but I hope you'll like it! Plus, there's a preview at the end of it for the next chapter!

Chapter Four

"Wow."

Mina blushed at his simple word, but more at the awe surrounding it. She spun for him, her hair flaring out slightly like the peach-hued dress that held nicely to her curves before the skirt nearly touched the floor. Her matching heels clicked on the entranceway's floor as he stared at her in the doorway of her parent's house. "You like it?" She touched a hand to her cheek, wondering if her make-up was right.

"I…um…yeah, definitely," he managed through the racing of his heart. He was getting used to the feeling of breathlessness around her and the pounding of his heart, but seeing her in the dress walking down the steps like a figure from his dreams had been nearly too much.

She surveyed his tall and muscular build usually wildly handsome now almost-regal in his simple tux. "Right back at you," she replied with a smile.

He blew out a sharp breath and cleared his throat. "Thanks. Hate these things, but I don't think they'd let me wear jeans and a t-shirt to a ball, huh?"

Mina giggled at the image of them dancing in plainclothes while everyone else wore formal wear. "I don't think so, but I like how you look, in jeans or in a tux. Does that help?"

EJ nodded and thanked the limo driver for opening the door, helped Mina into the seat and got in as well. When she sighed, he looked at her, saw the troubled look in her eyes. "Mina, what's wrong?" He lifted a hand to her cheek and turned her face towards him. "Tell me, please?"

_He's so caring_, she thought with a dreamy smile and sigh. "It's just…I told you about my last boyfriend, right?"

A muscle jumped in his jaw. The asshole, Danburite or something like it, had made her love him and had turned out to be working for the Negaverse—though she hadn't said as much but implied it. "Yeah, you did. I still think I should pull some strings, find him and-"

"No!" She blinked at the sharpness of her own voice. "I mean, he's just the reason why I don't want to…"

Surprised, EJ was speechless for a moment. Though the thought had crossed his mind numerous times in the past near-two weeks, it hadn't occurred to him to pressure her or to question why she was afraid to touch any part of him except his face, hair and shoulders. "Mina, I'll only ask once and you don't have to answer if you don't want: did he…violate you?"

Honestly shocked, Mina shook her head vehemently. "No, of course not! But he used me and broke my heart. I haven't dated anyone since then and I'm just…" She trailed off and was mortified by the tear that trickled down her cheek. "Shoot, I didn't want to start crying."

"Angel," he murmured his nickname for her and caught the tear on the ridge of his thumb. "We're in the same boat. Jane stole from me and used my name to push her own," he explained at her puzzled look. Silently, he wondered why they hadn't talked about this before. "Then she cheated on me, knowing I loved her and did so as I was burying my grandparents." He gave a semi-humorless chuckle. "She'd just given back her keys to me when you bumped into me," he confessed and saw the small smile curve her lips.

"Is that why you were in a good mood?"

"I suppose so. I don't care what the papers say about you and I, or what the rumors going around are if there are some. All I care about is if you are happy with me." He took a silent breath, knowing the next question could make or break him. "Are you?"

As they always did when happiness or an emotion in its vicinity simply overpowered her, her eyes began to shine. "Of course I am. Even if you speak really properly and like to give speeches," she added lightly and saw the playful light enter his eyes as she continued with, "Or if you like to be extremely cheesy sometimes and get cuts and bruises overnight."

"I was raised that way, I like getting what I feel or think right out there, you said you liked cheesiness, and I'm a klutz when I'm waking up or going to bed," he returned, responding to each of her accusations and punctuating each phrase with a kiss on her forehead, both cheeks and then her lips.

A little dazed, she looked up at him with a mock-glare. "And when you kiss my, I get all fuzzy-brained."

The grin was, like the others, stunning in its charm and humor. "Then I'm just returning the favor." At the series of flashes outside the limo, he sighed, his breath warm and hinting of his mint toothpaste on her cheeks. "Ready to face the circus?"

"I thought you liked the paparazzi!"

She's just so sweet, he thought and didn't know his eyes took on a shine they had never done before. "I do, but I hate the press at events. They're going to try to pressure you to say things you never mean to say, to do things you never would. Ignore those feelings and pretend it's just you and me while we're out there."

Surprised at the serious tone in his voice, she glanced out the tinted windows. "It's that bad?"

"It can be, most of the time."

Her eyes narrowed sharply. "Don't you think that sounds a little depressing?"

Amused, he brushed his lips against hers. "Yeah, sorry, just a little jaded, I guess." He smiled at her again and got out of the limo, held out a hand for her. "Brace yourself," he murmured and turned with a ready smile.

She blinked in surprise to the near-blinding flashes of cameras and immediately sought his hand to lace her fingers through his and squeeze tightly. Still, she smiled and continued to hold his hand, even though her cheeks were starting to ache. "EJ?" she asked as they moved from one spot to the next, which was the second-to-last one.

He looked down at her, the cameras catching the concern on his face. "Hmm?"

"How do you do it? Smile for so long?"

Chuckling, he kissed her cheek again, brushed a hand over her hair and sent the reporters into a speculative frenzy. Ignoring their chatter, he smiled at her. "I usually don't. This is the first event that I can remember actually smiling. Come on, one left and then we can relax."

With a dramatic sigh, she nodded and felt her heart flutter at his deep laugh as they moved to the last spot and were suddenly joined by all of Mina's friends. "Hey, you guys! EJ do you-"

He chuckled again, mostly at their enthusiasm. "Are you kidding me? I'd be honored." With a broad smile, he wrapped an arm around Mina's waist and waited for the rest of the girls to be put into position and pictures to be taken, some of them being serious but most of them laughing and clearly having fun.

Laughing himself, he followed them into the ballroom and wisely hid his wince at the high-pitched squeal of Princess Diamond as she rushed towards him, taller and slimmer with her once bowl-cut hair now falling in a faintly curling red. She was really quite pretty, but his mind, his heart was for one.

"EJ! EJ, you made it! I was so worried!" She stopped short at the sight of her crush holding hands with a pretty blond and her voice chilled a little as she offered her hand. "You were almost late."

He'd heard the chill in her voice and knew the reason why, found that he didn't care. He'd never actually cared much for the princess, not after she'd bloomed into her current beauty and had adopted a snobbish attitude. Still, he took her hand and quickly kissed her knuckles, didn't bother to smile when he straightened and stepped back to be next to his girlfriend. "Fashionably late," he corrected softly and stuck his free hand in his pant pocket. "Princess, this is my girlfriend, Mina Aino. Mina, Princess Diamond."

Struggling against the clearly uncomfortable air, Mina mustered a smile and gave a small curtsey. "Nice to meet you, princess," she said and looked at the already dancing guests. "This looks wonderful!"

Her pride soothed at the words, the warmth returned to the princess' words. "Thank you, Mina. EJ, the second and third dances are mine."

With that, she moved away and EJ breathed a slow breath, turned to her with calm eyes. "Would you like to dance?"

She smiled and nodded, let him lead her to the dance floor, sweep her into a surprisingly dreamy waltz. "Wow, you really are good!"

"Always helps to have a good partner, though. Look, they're staring at us."

Mina glanced away from his handsome face to people were in fact watching them dance. "I think the women are jealous of me," she whispered.

"And the guys are jealous of me, so we're in the same boat." A smile turned up his lips and he moved so she could see Lita and Tommy arguing in a corner. He winced when Tommy doubled over in pain after Lita socked him in the stomach. "Well, can't say I didn't warn her. Hello, Lita," he greeted with a smile as she marched up to him on the dance floor and easily adjusted to include her in the waltz, much to the chuckling amusement of the others.

"Hey. Tommy's definitely the biggest sleaze ball I've ever met. We hadn't been here for more than ten minutes when he wanted to go make-out!"

He winced at that and caught the interested look in a tall, blond-haired man who was the son of the city's most successful general practitioners and gave a short nod of assent for him to approach. "Did you like decking him?"

Lita's grin was quick and smug. "Definitely." She spotted the blond man and felt her heart flutter. "Who's the hunk?"

He fought off the wince, but it showed in his eyes. "Drake Quincy, Lita Kino." With that, he spun her towards the waiting man's arms and watched with amusement as they began to waltz away. Then he caught Mina staring at him. "What?"

"That was your plan all along, wasn't it?"

"Yep. Teach Tommy a lesson, give Lita an excuse to deck him, and then introduce her to one of my oldest friends. You think it worked?" He nodded to the music director and moved in that direction. "I have to do my set now," he murmured and kissed her temple. "You'll be okay with your friends?"

"Yep." She sighed, rested her cheek on his chest and felt his heart racing. Her heart was doing the same thing but it sank when she was left alone just off the dance floor with her friends.

There was a smattering of applause as he strapped on his guitar, adjusted the microphone stand to the right height and nodded to the audience. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you. I've been requested to perform two songs tonight for the princess, a ballads of sorts and a more up-beat type. Please, enjoy."

With that, he started the first song, a moderately-paced ballad Mina instantly recognized as "Stolen," one of his first hits. It was a little heavy on the bass drum and he strummed his guitar steadily but lightly. "_We watch the season pull up its own stakes and catch the last weekend of the last week. Before the gold and glimmer have been replaced, another sun soaked season fades away_." He looked off the stage and smiled at Mina to sing the chorus line, "_You have stolen my heart_," twice as the music picked up the faint sound of violins and a little harder on the guitars.

Mina blushed when Serena elbowed her lightly in the ribs and loved how he was bouncing only the slightest bit on the balls of his feet in time with the music, how his hair was loosening from the tame style to return back to its long spikes. She loved him, a celebrity, a rock star and he was singing to her about how she'd stolen his heart! Giddy, she grinned.

"_Invitation only grant farewells. Crash the best one of the best ones. Clear liquor and cloudy eyed, too early to say goodnight. You have stolen my heart! Oh, you have stolen my heart!_" This time the music was at its fullest. "_And from the ballroom floor we are in celebration; one good stretch before our hibernation. Our dreams assured and we all will sleep well, sleep well._"

EJ shook back his hair that had fallen in his face as the back-up singers repeated his last two lyrics, strummed his guitar a little harder in a build-up for the chorus and plunging into, "_Watch you spin around in the highest heels, you are the best on of the best ones! We all look like we feel!_" And after the singing of the chorus line three times, they let the chords drift off for a moment. Applause rang out, loudest from Mina and the Scouts. He shot the audience a smile, winked at Mina and knew the princess was glaring at him. Then he launched into the next song, from Disney's 'Tarzan.'

"_Whatever you do, I'll do it too_," he started and let the orchestra play instead of the back-up band. "_Show me everything and tell me how. It all means something and yet nothing to me._" He moved without thinking, holding the mike where it was on the stand and keeping his eyes half-closed. "_I can see there's so much to learn, it's all so close and yet so far. I see myself as people see me; oh, I just know there's something bigger out there!_" He smiled and started the chorus, his soothing baritone rising in pitch a little but naturally. "_I wanna know, so can you show me? I wanna know about these strangers like. Tell me more; please show me, because something's familiar about these strangers like._" Again, because it was tickling his cheeks, he shoved his hair out of his face.

The song was wonderfully primal, even with the stringed orchestra playing. Mina couldn't stop grinning as she watched him, singing softly along with the song and applauding loudly with her friends when he finished and headed over to them.

"That was great!" she said and saw guests begin to dance. Her heart was racing, but then she saw the princess making her way to them and tapped him on the shoulder. "Your turn to dance?"

"Mm-hmm." Without waiting for consent from Mina, she maneuvered herself into EJ's arms.

The look on his face was clear apology as he looked at Mina that shifted to annoyance as he danced with the princess. "That was low of you," he growled in an undertone so only she could hear. The center of the ballroom cleared to allow them to dance alone and he put a neutral look on his face.

Her smile was sweet and charming, deliberately putting him in the antagonist position. "So? What can you do about it?"

In response, he spun her out, sharply brought her back in and only his eyes smirked at the surprise on her face. "After this next dance, ignore you all night long. I know you've been blackmailing Jane into getting information on me. I didn't tell her anything before and I won't tell you anything now."

There was clear anger on her face as they shifted into the next dance and she made plans to step on his toes. Catching the gleam in her eyes, he mentally cast a spell that hardened the toes of his shoes seconds before she stepped on them. Then his face was a mask of concern when the heel of her shoe snapped, his eyes snapping anger and triumph as he let her be taken away to be seated nearby as a replacement shoe was retrieved.

When it was, she stood. "Would you care to continue?" he asked and felt perverse relief when she smiled with show-gratitude and shook her head, stepped off the dance floor. "Have a good evening," he murmured to her as he brushed a kiss over her knuckles and returned to Mina's side.

"You look mad," she murmured and took his hand, lead him to the balcony that lead to the gardens. He was, his eyes darkened to a honey-hue and the muscle in his jaw jumping in a steady rhythm. Hurt speared through her when he released her hand, and turned from her to brace his hands on the stone banister of the balcony, leaning his weight on it. "EJ?"

The anger was dying as he lifted his gaze to look at the fountain. "She was blackmailing Jane for information on me," he muttered and grimaced at the stinging of a headache. Images played in his head, memories of the last battle on the moon. "Don't you think that's cause enough for a bit of anger?"

Sympathetic, she laid a hand on his shoulder. "Why would she want to…It doesn't matter," she decided and instinctively stepped back when he whirled on her with fury in his eyes. She'd never seen him like this and it was scaring her.

"_Doesn't matter_?" he repeated. "Mina, don't you get it? She could have dug up something on you or made some horrible rumor up! She could have done the same thing to your friends!" At her fearful look, he let out a feral sigh and turned back to the fountain, his anger growing when staring at the falling water didn't calm him. "She could have hurt you one way or another and it would have been my fault."

Although she was still frightened, she stepped towards him, grateful that they were well hidden in the shadows. "EJ, listen. I know that we're not invincible or anything and this proves it." She gestured to the party. "But it's not your fault she a vindictive and jealous person! Besides, I…" Oh boy, here we go, she thought, knowing what was going to come out of her mouth. "EJ, I…"

She was cut off by the sudden crashing of a monster flying into the ballroom and immediately starting to drain the energy of the guests. She whirled around and let out a scream when EJ was hit by a muscular arm of the monster into the gardens and she rolled out of the way, ran into her friends, who were already transformed. "It got EJ!" she gasped after transforming herself. Anger flared in her eyes and she braced for battle. "Let's get him!"

EJ groaned from his lying position in the gardens and reached beneath him to eye the grab the rose whose thorn had gotten into his side. "Insert joke here," he muttered and stood, instantly on guard when he heard Jedite's voice.

"Shadow Knight, I'm calling you out!"

_Lame way to do it_, EJ thought and touched his index and middle finger to the always-present wristband after he'd gotten completely out of eyesight. "Star Magic Crystal," he murmured, his voice taking on an echo. Instantly, green smoke surrounded him as his now-naked body took on an ethereal glow and his armored warrior's outfit appeared on him, his cloak flapping in the wind and his drawn sword flashing in the moonlight.

"Shadow Knight, are you afraid to fight me?"

Mina felt her heart sink when there was no answer, then it promptly soar when a sharp, mocking whistle sound from the roof of the embassy where the ball was being held. She looked up with the others and smiled at the black-clad figure standing on the edge of the roof. "Shadow Knight, you came!"

EJ felt the same urge to push back his hood and reveal his face to her but he ignored it and simply bowed slightly to the Scouts. "Continue your battle with the monster and I'll take care of this one."

Jedite snarled at him and threw a powerful ball of energy at him. EJ grunted when he caught it, felt it burn his hands with its evil and tossed it up into the sky. "You think you're so powerful, don't you?"

EJ shrugged. "It's crossed my mind, but at least I'm not serving Beryl. Tell me, Jedite: do you ever feel regret for murdering so many innocents?" he questioned as he launched in the air, his strong sword attack blocked by Jedite in the knick of time.

"In the name of Queen Beryl, I serve as she wishes."

EJ snarled and viciously plowed his knee into the general's stomach, waited for him to catch his breath. "I want this to be a little prolonged," he confessed when the Scouts questioned him from the ground, his glancing down to them enough of a distraction for Jedite to attack.

The deep, slashing wound across his back, caused by Jedite's flaming sword, had cut clear through his armor and burned like a bitch. Enraged at the feel of his free-flowing blood and being caught off guard, EJ slashed Jedite, annoyed when his aim was off and he missed.

"You fucker," he muttered when the general disappeared and struggled against the dizziness caused by the cut. Remaining in mid-air and ignoring the questioning of his health by the Scouts, he smelled the air, vanished seconds before Jedite appeared in front of him and stabbed air. He appeared behind him and tapped him pleasantly on the shoulder.

When the general turned, EJ plowed his fist into his nose, his jaw and gut before grabbing him by the throat, squeezing until he heard the faint popping of bones breaking. He didn't see the shaking hand until it was too late as it grabbed his hood and jerked it back seconds before Jedite was destroyed with a strong energy blast.

In a flash, he appeared on the ground, glanced at the stirring guests inside the ballroom. "Shit," he muttered when his vision grayed considerably, held his cloak to the wound to delay the bleeding. "Look, I'll insert memories of us leaving. Meet me at the temple," he said as he jumped to the banister, a fog surrounding the guests before it vanished. He turned and was pleased that the Scouts were all gone.

* * *

Mina paced in front of the temple, worry on her features. "I knew he was Shadow Knight! I just knew it!" She looked at the sky. "Where is he?"

In answer to her question, he shimmered into sight not a few steps from her and instantly sagged against the tree he was beside, weakness on his paled face. "Something's…not right," he managed.

Raye, the resident psychic, held a hand just over his wound. "You've been poisoned. Come on, I have an antidote gel I can make to draw it out." She lifted one of his arms to help bring him in and felt the slice of annoyance when he shook his head and straightened. "You're too weak to get in there!"

"Just indulge this moment of male pride, would you?" he muttered and staggered when she pointed, de-transforming into his tux as he walked and taking off his jacket, vest and shirt before kneeling where directed.

Mina gulped at the sight of the jagged and deep wound and of the powerfully muscled back. "Um, do you want us to go?"

However weak his body was, his mind was still sharp. "Stay if you'd like. Raye, how long does this…Son of a-"

"Don't curse in this temple," the priestess warned him and instantly shut him up as she applied the stingingly cold gel to his cut. "Whoa, this is pretty bad."

The muscles of his back jumped and clenched when she applied another, then another layer of the healing gel. "And by bad, you mean…?"

"Just a few more layers and then the healing will start, tough guy."

"No flirting with my boyfriend, Raye," Mina said lightly to cover her teary eyes.

Raye turned and smiled gently at the unshed tears. "He started it," she protested and mouthed he was going to be okay.

Trista cut in before anyone else could start. "EJ, do you remember anything of the past life?"

He grunted when Raye applied the last layer and didn't bother to look at the strip of paper that had been slapped on his forehead, knowing it was just part of the process. "Yes, everything, including this one." He looked up at her with a small smile, felt the paper grow uncomfortably warm and waited until it had disappeared, the hardened gel vanishing with it to reveal his healed but scarred back. "You look well, my sister."

Kindly, she smiled at him and him at her, exchanging sibling-affection silently. Then he stood and slid his still fresh-looking dress shirt on, buttoning it with a wave of his hand to the top two buttons and leaving it un-tucked.

"How long have you remembered?" Mina asked, still shaken at the sight of his naked torso even though it was now covered.

Pain flashed in his eyes. "When you gave me your bracelet, as I was walking home, I stopped by the park and sat in front of a fountain and was given back my memories by Queen Serenity. I wanted to tell you, a thousand times I did, but I didn't know how to."

She nodded slowly and carefully. "So you knew all this time that I'm Sailor Venus?" He nodded as well. "Did that change anything between us?" He shook his head. "Why didn't you tell me?"

He sighed, drug a hand through his hair quickly. "I…good grief, I was terrified of your reaction. If you'd hate me and never talk to me again, or just stare at me blankly like you are now…"

She was? Maybe when joy, shock, and relief were having a race to find out which was more important inside you, that's how a person looked. "I don't know how I feel. No, yes I do," she corrected and knew the Scouts had already discreetly slipped out of the room. "I'm sad that you didn't tell me before, happy that you are Shadow Knight and Prince Emerson both, all with the fact that I'm in love with you to top the cake."

His eyes widened, went a little glassy with shock. "You…you love me?" He'd imagined it. He'd have had to imagined it, right? "Even if I'm Beryl's son, that I'm half evil?"

She shook her head quickly, her hair swishing with the movement. "But you not! You're the most good-hearted, funny, amazing guy I've ever met! And I love you, Emerson J. King, son of Queen Beryl or not."

Overwhelmed by his raging emotions, EJ lifted a hand to her cheek and stopped when he saw it was shaking. "I love you too," he replied softly, saw the tears begin to fall from her eyes and felt wetness in his own. "Good grief," he muttered again and wiped away her tears with a thumb. "What's going to happen now?" he asked.

Mina shrugged and lifted her hands to rest comfortably on his forearms. "I don't know," she confessed. "Let's just ride with it, okay?"

"I can do that." He smiled at her. "You know, we should definitely introduce Artemis and Luna to Mavis. It'll be a hoot."

She giggled. "Definitely. Hey, can he talk?"

"Are you kidding me? He never shuts up! Get all your memories and powers back and receive a chatterbox dog in return!"

* * *

"It's him," Beryl told Metaria. "It's my son who is the Shadow Knight."

The newly awakened spirit made a sighing sound. "And are you able to find his hidden identity as he lives among the humans?"

"No, but we will find his weakness soon enough. Soon enough, we will have the greatest powers of the universe!"

_**

* * *

**__**A/N: Okay, you guys, the next chapter is going to have a lot of romance and the rating of 'mature,' so you know. I'll post it at the top of the chapter, but still…**_

_**It's basically about Mina and EJ introducing the cats and his dog (not the 'mature' part, don't worry!) and finally expressing their love for each other in a more…physical way.**_


	5. Chapter 5 RATED M!

**_NEW RATING FOR THIS CHAPTER: MATURE FOR ADULT THEMES!!!_**

Again, I don't own Sailor Moon or its characters, and this chapter is fairly short, but I still hope you enjoy!

Chapter Five

"They like each other, right?"

EJ thought of how his dog and the two cats had laughed and frolicked together in his apartment before heading off to Amy's in order to leave him and Mina alone. "Yeah, pretty sure they do." He pressed the 'close' button on his DVD remote and settled into his couch by lying on his side with Mina doing the same but in front of him and drug the blanket over them in defense against mid-November air had chilled considerably in the past few days and lingered in his apartment until the heat would kick in.

When the title screen came on for 'West Side Story,' he immediately punched the 'play' button and tossed the remote on the coffee table. "You're sure you don't want to watch something else?" he asked.

"My movie night, my choice. Deal with it, lover-boy."

His brows rose and were still risen when he rolled her to her back and hovered over her. "_Lover-boy_? I'll make you think, 'lover-boy.'"

Her giggle was muffled when he captured her lips in a playfully light kiss and her fingers immediately threaded through his hair. The softest of moans slid from her throat when he slowly, sweetly seduced her—not that she needed it. It was barely a whisper of a touch at first, a light brush of mouth to mouth that sent heated tingles through both their systems. As he had for their first kiss and despite his hovering over her, EJ held her lightly so she might escape if she wanted.

Then those wonderfully gentle lips left hers as he slowly brushed them against her cheeks, her jaw, the sensitive part of her neck where her shoulder and neck met. She was trembling from the increasing tingles, the growing ache in her belly and breathless from them both when his mouth covered hers a second.

Deeper now, slowly. Her lips parted and the sweetness that was her was hungrily plundered until he was trembling as well and tore his mouth from hers.

"Mina, anytime you want me to stop," he started and groaned when she pulled his mouth back to hers. _More_, he could only think. _Give me more._

And she gave all she had, whimpers sounding at the back of her throat as the ache grew a little more painful as they gave and took from each other. She took all he offered greedily, gave everything he wanted.

"EJ, please…I…" _I don't know what to say or do._

He lifted his head so he could look into her eyes and saw the plea, the questioning and nodded. He tossed away the blanket, jabbed the power button on the remote and lifted Mina easily from the couch like she was a feather. He somehow made it to the bedroom without dropping her when she began to kiss his neck, nibbling on it gently.

EJ sat her on her feet and looked at her intently. "One last time, for good measure: you're sure about this?"

She nodded and was suddenly terribly shy and unsure of what she was supposed to do. "I don't know what to do."

"Then I'll show you," he murmured and drew her into another kiss, slow and achingly deep so explosions erupted in her, battering her system against the color and light. Even as he slowly drew down the zipper to her pink hoodie, he never rushed her, never wanted her to fear as he pushed away the material to leave her standing in her bra and jeans.

She shivered against the cool air on her bared skin and bit her bottom lip before sliding out of her jeans. She shivered again when heat flared into his eyes, this one of power when she realized she'd lit the flames in his eyes. Quickly, he drew up his t-shirt and tossed it aside and did the same with his own jeans so they both stood in their underwear.

He was perfect, his muscles chiseled and rock-hard, skin smooth to her exploring touch. She was fascinated when she felt those powerful muscles tremble beneath his skin as it heated. Then all thoughts vanished from her mind when his slightly-rough hands touched her skin.

"So soft," he murmured, trailing his hands up her flat abdomen to the sides of her breasts. His eyes continued to blaze hotly when she reached behind her and unclasped her bra and let it fall to their feet, joined by her panties. "So beautiful," he hoarsely whispered as he lifted her, yanked back the covers and laid her on the bed.

Naked himself, he lowered himself to the bed and captured her mouth, let her become used to the presence, the feel of his naked body. Though it cost him considerable control, he let her touch him and did so himself for some time, molding her small, firm breasts, realizing that the sweetness was tasted on all her skin. Close, so very close she was ready for him, aching for him and he moved away to sheathe himself quickly.

"I'll be gentle," he murmured and was. Slowly and softly, he began to thrust until she gently gave way and felt the sting of tears to match hers. "Sweet, perfect Mina," he muttered and moved with concentrated slowness as she moved with her body's natural instincts in rhythm with him.

The pressure was building to the point of pain and she moaned from the power of it, lifted her hands to knead his shoulders only have them fall weakly away when the orgasm ripped through her, blinding her and leaving her shaken and tremblingly weak as he shuddered as well, rolled so she was laying on his chest.

Moments, long and silent but for their labored breathing, passed. She smiled when she pressed her ear to his heart and heard it slow down from thundering to a fairly moderate beat, knew hers was doing the same.

"I'm never going to watch that movie the same again," he finally managed.

She giggled and agreed. "So, how…I mean, was I…ugh, I don't know how to say it."

"You were amazing," he told her and smiled when she looked at him. "Amazing."

She sighed and noticed a gleam entering his eyes. "You know, I've always believed practice makes perfect."

He lifted a brow and continued to smile as he rolled her onto her back. "Always supporting beliefs, that's me."

* * *

Later, after their bodies collapsed into an exhausted sleep, the Scouts began to meet.

Serena couldn't hide the smile when she noticed both Mina and EJ were missing. "We'll just fill them in later. Luna, have you found the entrance to Beryl's hide-out?"

The gray cat nodded. "Yes, but I think it would definitely be best if we waited for Mina and EJ, don't you think?"

Artemis agreed wholeheartedly. "We need all the strength we can get."


	6. Chapter 6 RATED M!

_I'm sorry it took so long to write this one! I've been working as hard as I can to get this up and I just finished it. I think it's pretty crappy, but I'm biased and it all is up to you readers. Please, let me know how you feel about it._

_Oh! And before I forget to put this down in my half-awake state, this story will have a total of **ten** chapters, so 3 to go!_

_One more thing (don't you love it when people do that?): Check out my profile if you want to read the summaries of the two new stories (bottom two on the summary list) that I'm starting and will hopefully be posting sometime soon after I finish this story._

**_I do not own Sailor Moon or its characters_**

_**RATED M for sexiness **(actually, I think it should be rated 'S') **involved!**_

Chapter Six

Mina winced as the alarm clock rang in her ear and slowly got out of her bed to slap it. Groggily she stared at the phone as it continued to ring, realizing she was still in EJ's apartment and his cell phone was going off. With a sleepy and satisfied smile, she remembered instantly the night of love-making as he groaned and shifted slightly to grab his phone and growl into it menacingly.

"What?"

"EJ, buddy! Got some great news!" Tommy cheerfully told him from the other end. When his client was silent, he continued. "There's another ball honoring the princess next month for her eighteenth birthday."

"No. Tell her I have another engagement."

There was pain in Tommy's voice when he spoke a moment later. "Why? You don't."

EJ looked at Mina, eyes flaring when he skimmed over her naked body. "Any plans for next month?"

"Christmas and New Years, but that's about it. Do you want to come, because you can?"

He nodded. "When's the party?"

"Christmas," Tommy replied since he'd been spoken to.

"I'm going to Mina's for Christmas and New Year's. Send her my apologies." He snapped his phone shut and sat up slowly. "So."

She grinned at him and sat on the edge of the bed, just out of his reach. "So."

"You gonna cook me breakfast?"

Shocked, she stared at him before noticing the playful light in his eyes and grabbed a discarded pillow from the floor to throw at him. "You jerk, I thought you actually meant that!"

He tossed the pillow back at her and tossed away the covers to pull on a pair of sweats, grinning when she searched his dresser drawers and came up with a few female garments. "Emergency supply," he explained and kissed her on the cheek.

"Oh, really? How many times do you have to use it?"

He shrugged and mentally counted. "Since Jane." Relief passed over her face and he smiled slightly. "This'll sound tacky, but I don't think any of them counted."

Understanding and shaken by the thundering of her heart, she nodded. "I…I love you."

His eyes warmed and the smile was full and happy as it spread on his lips. "I love you, too." He took her hand and led her to the kitchen, sitting her down at the table as he started making scrambled eggs. After a comfortable few moments of silence, he cleared his throat softly. "Mina?"

She looked up from studying the picture of a much younger EJ with his family, all laughing and joyful. She could almost hear their laughter and her heart breaking once more for the child who'd lost everything. "Hmm?"

"Remember in the past, in the Moon Kingdom I mean, about how we felt about each other then?"

She nodded. "Sure, of course. You hardly ever talked to me and were almost always in battles. But when you came back I was so happy. Even then," she continued with a small laugh, "I loved you."

"And I did to you, even though I knew it was a bad idea with the border wars going on." He smiled as he laid the plate of food in front of her. "I never used to believe in destiny until the queen helped me remember. Now, I'm positive you and I are supposed to be together."

Mina choked on her eggs and swallowed after he helpfully tapped her back. Is he saying what I think he is? "What…what are you saying, EJ?"

He chuckled and pushed at his hair, reaching a hand into his pocket as he knelt in front of her. "Look, I know you're still in high school and your parents aren't exactly jumping for joy that you and I are seeing each other. But I love you more than I've ever loved anything before in my life. When we're not together I can't stop wishing we were and when we are, I pray we never have to separate. I know you love me just as much because I see it in your eyes every time you look at me and hear it in your voice."

She couldn't breathe, couldn't think for her shock. "EJ…"

He shook his head, silencing her. "Let me finish, please. I'll wait as long as you want me too, but you know I can support you through college even if you don't accept, until you decide you'll have me." He brought out the worn velvet box and opened it to reveal an amber stone. "It was my mother's engagement ring," he murmured and waited with his breath held.

Shaken by the power of love rushing through her and bringing tears to her eyes, Mina struggled to find her voice. "EJ, it's beautiful, what you said and the ring and I love you too." Unable to say anything else, she lifted his chin when his head lowered in defeat so his gaze could reach hers. She smiled as he read her answer in his eyes.

"Yes? You'll marry me?" Joy spread through him like a welcome wave when she nodded and he took out the ring and instead of slipping it on the finger that held the ring he'd given her months. She gasped when both rings began to glow and were blended together in an intricate weaving pattern of silver and gold, the amber stone taking the middle with the three diamonds surrounding it at points.

"It's beautiful," she murmured and lifted his head to kiss him. "I'm engaged to the man of my dreams," she said softly even as his cell phone rang.

"And I'm engaged to the woman of mine," he returned and kissed her again, determined to ignore the phone.

"You better answer that," she murmured against his lips and he sighed before moving to do so. A moment later, he rushed out of the bedroom after tossing his phone on the bed. "What's the matter?"

"The other Scouts found the portal to Beryl's palace and we're grouping up in an hour to attack."

She stood, appetite lost. "I have to take a shower and get cleaned up."

He nodded, not bothering to argue with her and followed her to the bathroom, grinning when she lifted her brows at him. "It'll save time and I can wash your back if we shower together."

Her eyes twinkled with laughter and interest. "Sure, whatever you say."

They stepped into the fairly large shower and she yelped when he turned on the water to a comfortably hot degree. After he'd quickly washed his hair, hee poured shower gel, stuff that smelled like lilies from his 'emergency supply,' into the palm of his hand and lifted her soaked and already washed hair to rub it gently into her back, gradually traveling lower.

She shivered as he trailed his hands up her legs and along her hips to spread the sweet-smelling gel along her abdomen and then her breasts. "EJ…"

He pressed a kiss on the hollow of her neck, dizzy and thrilled in arousal simply by her reaction. "Want me to stop?" he hoarsely whispered.

She let loose a trembling sigh as his lips trailed up her neck. "No, never." She moaned when he shifted her slightly to wash away the suds over her body, the feel of water hitting her skin impossibly erotic. She turned in his arms and pressed against him. "Now, please."

He captured her mouth quickly and with near-violence that was only more erotic to her and swiftly thrust into her so quickly that she cried out, bracing her slick back against the wall, laughing with her as they kept slipping and shuddering with her as they eagerly reached the edge and cheerfully jumped off.

* * *

When they'd arrived at the temple forty minutes later, the foolish grins still on their faces slid off at the grim look on the other's faces, mostly Serena's. 

"What's wrong?" he asked before Mina could. Something flashed in his eyes. "Raye had a vision?"

Raye nodded, still nursing the headache with tea. "It's pretty bad, you two."

"Tell us," Mina murmured as she sat beside her friend.

"One of us won't be coming back with the group. I don't know who, though."

EJ nodded, quickly thinking. "Are your visions always definite?"

Knowing where he was going with this, Raye only shrugged and was silent for a moment. "I only can see what could happen, not what will. So no, they aren't always definite."

"Then we'll just have to make sure they don't happen," he replied and watched from a careful distance with Darien, whom he had formed a silent, steady friendship with in the past months, as the girls admired her engagement ring. "You know she's coming after me, right?" he asked in an undertone.

Darien nodded. "Yeah, I know. You'll put us all in danger if you aren't careful," he joked softly.

EJ was silent. "I know," he finally said, humor gone from his face by the time they reached the portal. "Shit!" he gasped at the sting of Arctic wind and bone-freezing temperature—or the lack of it. He looked over at the shivering others and instantly cast a warming spell on all of them. "Alright, let's do this."

In her palace, Beryl smirked into her orb. "They are here," she hissed and waved her hands over the orb, instantly transporting the group in front of her. "Welcome to my humble home," she announced to the stunned group.

EJ snarled and drew his sword, rushed at her and ignoring the cries of the others warning him. When a black light flashed, he turned around and saw, to his horror, a dome surrounding the others was rapidly shrinking. "Stop, you'll kill them!"

"That's the idea," Beryl smirked and lifted a brow when he threw his sword down at her feet. "You have an offer for me then?"

He nodded and fought to speak around the lump of disgust in his throat. "Let them go and I'll serve you as you had wished in the past life. Mother."

Her amber eyes flashed in triumph as the black smoke began to swirl around his feet. When it reached his head, he would be hers completely. "So be it." She waved a hand flippantly to the dome and watched with pleasure as the Scouts and Tuxedo Mask collapsed onto the ground. "Where do you think you are going?" she demanded of EJ when he began walking to them.

"To say good-bye," he returned and kissed the Scouts on the cheek each, shook Darien's hand and stood before a crying Mina. "I know you'll save me," he murmured and kissed her with the desperation of a doomed man before stepping away.

"Shadow Knight!" she sobbed as he turned and walked back towards his mother, the smoke to his hips and growing higher. "Please, come back!"

Slowly, because the smoke was paralyzing him, EJ turned and concentrated. "Good-bye," he murmured and flung out his arms towards them, immediately transporting them back to Tokyo.

Beryl stood in rage as he turned back to her. "You fool, we could have killed them just then!"

"What fun would that be?" he said without thinking and slapped a hand to his mouth, stunned at what he'd just said. His mother cackled in what he supposed was her version of joy.

"Soon you'll be entirely evil, my son. Then you'll have plenty of fun."

Neither of them noticed the thin silver mist that traveled from his temples beneath the smoke to melt into his bracelet as he deeply inhaled the smoke until it was gone. When he opened his eyes, they were flashing red.

"I'm looking forward to it," he chuckled darkly.

* * *

Mina collapsed on the concrete sidewalk, the helpless sobs racking her body as she pounded on the brick wall that had been the portal they'd used. They had tried everything possible in the past two weeks and had failed every time. Now Beryl was going to kill him and she didn't even get the chance to say she loved him again. 

"Mina, we'll find him," Serena promised as they led their sobbing friend back to the temple. "I promise you."

Mina lifted reddened eyes to her friend. "You're the Moon Princess. Can't you just…"

"I already tried. The teleporting spell he used on us must have blocked us from her domain."

Artemis gently rubbed his head against her wet cheek. "We just have to pray that she didn't kill him."

They all jumped when Amy's mini-computer began beeping. She brought it out quickly and sighed. "There's a massive attack in the cherry tree park." She looked down at a still crying Mina as the others transformed and rushed off. "Mina, we need your help with this."

Because she knew it was her duty and that it would help get rid of the helpless rage boiling in her, Mina stood and soon was fighting with ferocious strength with her friends. Every blow she landed eased the pain in her heart, every pain she suffered from a monster's landed blow gave her strength to keep fighting.

When the battlefield was clear, she knew she was the most bruised and aching and didn't care. "I'll find you, EJ," she said softly to the sky. "And when I do, I'll save you."

Little did she know he was watching…waiting with a smirk on his lips and coldness in his eyes. Soon, he thought and lifted a brow from the shadows when a dozen more monsters appeared on the battle. This will be interesting, he thought as Zoisite hovered just out of the Scout's sight.

Then the brow lowered and his eyes narrowed when he saw three monsters gang up on Mina and prepared to blast them when she saved him the trouble. He might be evil, but he believed in a good, fair fight and wasn't going to be above evening the odds, even if it meant helping the Sailor brats.

Zoisite growled in frustration and looked towards the trees as her last monster was defeated. "You could help, you know!" she called to him.

EJ chose to ignore the gasps of the others as he stepped from the shadows in his princely garb. "And deny you your fun? Why would I do that?" he returned with a grin that held none of the playful charm as it had before but pure evil. "Besides, I've decided to evaluate you, Malachite and Ephyzal." He glanced over at the staring Scouts. "The new general," he explained. "You'll meet him soon enough."

Mina stepped forward slightly. "EJ? You're okay? This is just an act, right? You're just pretending to be evil so you could send us back here and attack Beryl when she's least expecting it, right?"

He chuckled and stroked her cheek. "You're so cute sometimes, you know that? Especially when you wake up after a few good rolls in the sheets." When her face flashed in pain, he grinned. "You weren't that bad."

She steeled herself against the pain he was causing her, knowing she had no choice. "You're just saying that because you had to give into the Negaverse," she said, speaking more to herself than him as she pushed away his hand angrily. "You don't mean that and you love me. You said so every time we were together." She lifted her hand to show him the engagement ring and was satisfied when his face registered confusion. "You gave this to me two weeks ago on the day you sacrificed yourself for all of us. Because you are a good person beneath all that evil," she added at his disgust and loathing as he slowly stepped away from her.

He lifted a hand, a ball of black magical energy glowing in his hand. "I'll make you think a good person."

Suddenly, Beryl's image played above him in the sky. "Emerson, come back. You're far too weak yet to fight!" Abruptly, he nodded and snarled at the Scouts before vanishing in a shimmer.

Mina breathed a long breath. "It could have gone worse," she told her friends and forced her heart to steady as hope sang through her joyfully. There had been a brief flash of the real EJ as she'd spoken to him, when he'd seen the ring. He was there and would be back soon, she was sure of it.


	7. Chapter 7

_**I do not own Sailor Moon or its characters. Rated Teen like the rest of the story, save for the last two chapters I've put up.**_

_A short one, but the next chapter will be longer and a bit gorier. Enjoy and don't forget to tell me what you think about it!_

Chapter Seven

EJ cried out in pain as the blade dug into his skin and was dragged from his shoulder blade to his hip, the deep cut burning viciously. "Son of a bitch!" he cried out as Zoisite giggled.

"You should have struck them," she told him in a sing-song voice as the faceless torturer dragged the blade from his uncut shoulder to his hip to match the fresh wound. "Three weeks you've been evil and not once have you even attempted to strike them." She squatted in front of him, shackles at his wrists that were attached to chains in the ceiling holding his body up, lifted his fallen chin so he would look her in the eyes. "That's what I admire about you," she continued when he jerked his chin from her grasp and spat on her viciously. "Even when you're being tortured you're still so very proud."

"Don't ever touch me," he growled, jerking the chains with enough force to frighten her and send her sprawling backwards.

Furious at his trickery, she deliberately sat in front of him. "You're a healthy, strong young man," she started. "As a matter of fact, you're my age, maybe a little older." She trailed a fingertip down his chest, her eyes gleaming maliciously when his jaw tightened and eyes cooled to an arctic temperature. "Surely three weeks without any…outlet," she purred and laughed when he jerked the chains again as she stood to finger his bracelet.

"It's stuck on your skin, did you know that?" When he was silent, she continued talking anyway. "I was looking forward to stealing it from you while you slept, but now I'll just have to wait until you die."

The faceless torturer put away his bloody knife and brought out his glass-edged whip, snapped it once on the ground and waited for Zoisite to nod to begin. Her delighted laughter at EJ's cries of pain echoed in the empty chamber as the whip sliced his skin.

Slowly, the pain dulled and his cries silenced as he fell to unconsciousness. There, he dreamed of the past that he'd forgotten, of the family that had died when he was too young, of the grandparents that had loved him dearly and saved him from a life of emptiness.

Then he saw her face, her large blue eyes and swinging golden hair, her long, slender body, her laughter, her kiss. _Mina_, he thought in his dreams as sorrow warred with the ever-churning anger to dull it. _What have I done?_

A part of him cried out in anguish at his betrayal of her love for him, for the pain he had caused her and his friends. Then the same part of him called upon whatever strength he had left in him and he vowed to fight back against his evils. He would return, even if it cost him his life he would come back to her and apologize for all he had done wrong to her.

When he lifted his head, his eyes were a bright, intense gold that frightened Zoisite in their pure and undiluted fury. "Release me," he snarled, not noticing that he was still being whipped. When she hesitated, he hoisted himself with the help of the chains so his body was parallel to the floor and caught the torturer's neck between his ankles and jerked. "Release me," he demanded again as the lifeless body fell to the floor and disappeared.

"You are to take your punishment!" she gasped as she searched for the ring that held the keys on within her uniform. "Queen Beryl ordered it!"

He smirked as she released his chains and stood, not caring that he was naked. "And I'm overruling it. Now," he softly murmured as he reached out with such speed she didn't even have time to gasp as he grabbed her by the throat and squeezed, "What was that you were saying about an outlet?"

She gasped for breath and scratched frantically at his hands, well aware she was drawing blood with her sharp nails. "I…Sorry."

He lifted a brow. "I'm sorry, what did you just say?"

"I…can't…breathe!"

He shook his head and squeezed once more for good measure, loosening his hold only marginally as he let the rage flow through his blood riotously. "No, that's not what you said. I want to hear you say it."

She sucked in a thin amount of air. "I'm sorry, Prince Emerson."

EJ nodded and tossed her away like a rag-doll, perversely pleased when her body slammed against the jagged stone pillar and she cried out. "Much better," he murmured, rolling his shoulders as his wound promptly healed themselves. He slipped on his princely uniform once more and only looked at his mother, who was glaring at him from her throne. "What?"

Her eyes flashed in anger. "You dare to disobey me, son?"

"You would dare to punish me for simply watching battles instead of fighting in them?"

Her eyes flashed darker this time, a true sign of her rage. "You were ordered to kill them."

_Not if I can help it_, he thought but kept his face the same cold mask as it had been. "And I will," he lied easily, knowing very well that she couldn't sense his emotions, read his thoughts, or tell where he was because of their blood connection. "But I will dispose of them in my own time and in my own manner. I want to have a little fun with them first." _I want to have a little fun pissing you off first_, he corrected mentally. _Then I'll be sure to kill you and yours, even if it costs me my life._

Her face registered interest. "You mean to torture them? It worked quite well for Prince Darien when he was by my side before that moon brat stole him away from me again. Perhaps it will work for you just as well, my son."

_Christ, she's a complete monster_, he mused darkly and with disgust. _No feelings except for selfishness and greed._ "Perhaps." He pushed his hair out of his face and noticed Zoisite was slowly standing. "But before that, I have a plan for an attack that will supply energy to Metaria and yourself, mother." Saying that was like chewing on glass.

"I'm listening."

He nodded and flicked a wrist to bring down a large globe that showed a series of attacks and fallen human bodies. When she gave her assent, he lifted a brow at Zoisite and decided to have a little fun with it. "I need Zoisite to help me with this."

The general gaped at him in shock. "You…you're not angry with me anymore?"

He shrugged his shoulders eloquently. "You were following orders, so why wouldn't I?"

Beryl nodded, pleased at the progress her son was making with her generals. "Go as soon as you can."

EJ and Zoisite bowed briefly and walked into the shadows until they were met up with Ephyzal and Malachite. EJ drew the former aside. "You were guardian to the king of the Venus Kingdom, right?"

Ephyzal nodded. "And his bitch daughter. Both of them were so righteous and goody-goody. I was happy to betray them."

And Malachite and Zoisite had betrayed Darien, he thought venomously. All three would pay. "I see."

First on the list: Zoisite.


	8. Chapter 8

_**I do not own Sailor Moon or its characters.**_

_Eight chapters in and a good reviewer (hi, Noir86!) pointed out the critical point that I had made Zoisite a female as __**he**__ was in the English dubbed anime. When I'd become a fan of Sailor Moon, it was by watching the English dubbed anime, and thus I thought that Zoisite was in fact female and thought so until I had come to college and learned otherwise. Unfortunately, I had already made most of the summaries and begun rough drafts of the story and if I had changed it then, there would have been one tangled mess that I simply do not have the energy after long classes to fix. If I have offended somebody, I sincerely apologize and hope you've otherwise enjoyed the story!_

Chapter Eight

Beryl waited until Zoisite and her son had left for the council with Metaria. "My queen," she murmured as she knelt in front of the massive figure. "I worry for my son. He is still struggling with the good inside him and could be a threat."

Metaria gave a small sigh. "The bracelet that gives him powers beyond yours…Have you been able to retrieve it yet?" When the woman was silent, Metaria sighed again. "Until you do, there will always be good in him, blocking you from controlling him, from reading his mind and emotions."

"The best that I've been able to do is twist his memories so they favor us. But the bracelet…It's attached to him like skin. Zoisite has even attempted to carve it from his skin, but it is impossible."

A final sigh. "Then we will have to rely on the rage in him since childhood." Her voice told Beryl she was far from content with the matter.

Meanwhile, as he always did while the Sailor Scouts fought his mother's monsters, EJ chose to watch from the shadows. There was a part of him that kept nagging at him to help them, to cut through the monsters that were attacking his friends. Then the other part of him, the one that fed greedily on the long-withheld anger and always simmering rage that had died down when he'd met Mina, pushed aside the guilt and the good that was in him began to lose its war again.

_Patience_, a voice, his mother's voice, whispered silkily in his mind. _Have patience and all the revenge you are after will be at your fingertips. She will be yours for all eternity and the power you need to defeat your mother will be yours._

"Patience," he muttered, a maniacal gleam entering his eyes. Yes, that was all he needed, but the truth was what he wanted. Was he really as he thought he was? Were his memories really his?

It was the patience, he assumed, that kept him from moving from the shadows and close his eyes as though in sleep. It was his sub-conscious self that brought forth the dream though he didn't sleep.

_They were together, he and Mina. Laughing as Mavis chased Artemis around the park with his goofy sense of play, watching time just go by, content with each other. He softly sang in her ear the song he'd been working on and frowned when she lowered a hand to her stomach with a frightened look on her face._

"_What's the matter, Mina?" he asked, concerned._

_The dream slowed down to a snail's pace. She was looking at him with disgust and, worse, hate in her eyes and on her face. "I'm pregnant. I'm pregnant with the devil's son." She drew a dagger and aimed it at her heart. "I'd rather die than be with someone—something," she corrected quickly, "So vile and disgusting!"_

_He cried out when the dagger sank into her heart and she fell to the ground, smiling in content before fading away before he could touch her. "Mina!" he yelled, or attempted to. Nothing came out of his mouth, no matter how hard he tried._

"_You will lose everything if you do not stop," Serenity told him, lying where Mina had disappeared from. "Your friends, your loved ones—Mina, the Scouts, Mavis, Tommy even—and your sanity. Stop your mission of revenge or only one thing will save you. Blind and true love."_

_He snarled at the queen. "There is no such thing. She said she would save me and has she? No!" But he was silent still._

_Serenity looked at him with true sorrow in her eyes. "Is that how she has made your memories appear? Bastardized and twisted to her liking? They are false in the ways you see them," she snapped angrily, beautiful even then in her anger. "Give up your mission."_

"My prince, help me!" Zoisite called in a panicked voice as the last of the monsters was vanquished.

EJ jerked felt that his cheeks were wet. Stunned, he lifted his hands to them and stared at the dampness on his fingertips. _What was this?_ he wondered. _Was what Serenity said true?_

"My prince, help!"

He sighed and shimmered away from the tree, appearing in time to catch the fireball from Raye before it connected with a badly wounded Zoisite. "Leave you alone for one minute," he muttered to the general as he idly bounced the ball in his hand, "And you nearly get killed." He sighed and lifted her chin to inspect the wounds on her shoulder and tittered. "A pity to scratch such a pretty face."

"EJ! You came back!" Mina cried, overjoyed despite his apparent connection to the pretty honey-blond general. "I knew you would, I just knew it!"

EJ lifted a brow at her. "Knew what?" Because the confusing battle of a strange warmth against his churning rage infuriated him, he sneered at her. "Ah, you think I am a different person. The fool who fell in love with you."

Hurt, she stared at him. "You don't mean to be mean," she murmured, noticing with shock that the fireball had grown larger and looked at Raye. The Shinto priestess shook her head, telling her she wasn't doing anything.

He lowered himself to the ground, still bouncing the fireball. "Life is mean, Sailor Venus. Hell, it's downright cruel sometimes. You can go ahead and live your life of puppies and rainbows, but I know just how bad it is."

With that, he threw the fireball at the nearest target, Darien, and chuckled when it hit him square in the chest and knocking him out. "Bulls-eye," he muttered and sneered at Amy when she began to aim a icy-water beam at him and shimmered out of sight. She sensed him right behind her and whirled, crying out when he sharply backhanded her and falling to the ground.

When the others charged him, he vanished to appear beside Zoisite, who was eyeing him with trust in her eyes. "Until next time, Sailor Brats," he said with a mocking wave and vanished.

Mina knelt beside her friend. "Are you okay?"

Amy nodded and winced at the aching in her cheek. "You're sure that he's still good?"

Hesitant, Mina sighed. "I have to, Mercury," she said, forcing herself to call Amy by her Scout name since they were still in the open and transformed. "That's all I have left with him is hope."

* * *

"You are not to go on the battlefield."

EJ lifted his gaze from lazily inspecting the razor-sharp edge of his long, curved sword. "Say again?"

Beryl sighed. She hated repeating herself, but she was too tired from her lack of energy to be angry. "You are not to go on the battlefield against those Sailor brats. They're going to try and play on your weakness of good still within you. I won't risk losing you."

"My powers, you mean." When she gave him a carefully constructed blank look, he gave a ghost of a laugh. "Don't attempt to be coy, mother. I know why you had captured me: you're afraid that I will overthrow you." He shrugged as he continued to inspect the edge of his sword, gleaming as always in the unseen light. "Don't worry about it. I have no interest in anything of the sort."

Her eyes narrowed at him, but she couldn't do anything but let it go, which she did. Much later, as all slept in Beryl's palace, EJ was awake, plotting with a thoughtful line on his brow. He wouldn't be able to turn Zoisite or Malachite against each other and they were far too loyal to his mother to go against her orders. And Ephyzal, that impetuous fool…He was going to be the most fun to get rid of, EJ was sure of it.

It wasn't just a matter of the newest general's knack for being a sheer pain in the ass with his questions about the prince's powers, or how he always had a smart-ass comment. It was the fact that he was once a traitor; that meant he would be inclined to betray Beryl—and thus screw up EJ's plans—by sheer instinct.

_Fucking bastard_, EJ thought venomously as he stretched out on his bed, made a show of falling asleep to the guards hiding in the shadows. And, most importantly, to the watching Zoisite.

He closed his eyes and began to breathe deeply as though in sleep, though he was far from it. His senses peaked as he heard the very faint sound of her boots hitting the floor and nearing him but he forced his body to relax.

_Closer_, he thought. _Just a little closer…_

When her fingertips grazed his bracelet, he lunged as though he'd been startled out of sleep and plunged the dagger from beneath his pillow into her chest. "Good morning, sunshine," he greeted with a menacing sort of cheerfulness. She made a gurgling sound as he yanked the dagger from her chest, her eyes wide with shock and anger. "What's the matter? Can't talk?"

When she gurgled again, he shrugged and knelt beside her when she fell to her knees. "I'm going to tell you something, since you won't live long enough to repeat it: I'm going to kill your lover, then I'll kill Ephyzal. I know what you're thinking," he continued amiable tone. "I'm going to get caught and possibly killed by my mother or one of her cronies. That's what my plan was, so long as I can straighten out this puzzle. You see, I'm not sure if my memories are really my memories." He frowned when she gurgled once more, one last time and fell lifeless to the floor. "Well, that's just rude."

After her body had disappeared, EJ sighed and stood to crawl back into bed. Tomorrow was going to be hell.

* * *

"You killed her! You murdering bastard, you killed her!"

EJ lifted his brow at the raging Malachite. "If I did, it would have been justified."

The older man pushed the prince hard enough to knock him back a few steps. "You hated her nearly as much as you hate me and Ephyzal and that's what you called justified," he proclaimed.

"Ephyzal and I," EJ corrected, just to piss him off. It worked wonderfully and he swiftly drew out his dagger, still stained with Zoisite's blood. "I'm not a terribly psychotic man, but I'm not a terribly sane one at the moment with these confusing memories that just don't seem quite right in my head. When she attempted to take my bracelet from me, I retaliated in the same way I should have the first time she tried to." He shrugged and tossed the dagger at Malachite's feet. "I thought you'd like that, a memento of sorts for your beloved-"

Malachite sprang forward, the dagger raised high to strike. EJ had to give him credit for his strength as they wrestled on the floor, especially as the dagger sank deeply into his shoulder. Biting off his cry of pain, EJ slammed the heel of his hand into the silver-haired general's nose, effectively breaking it and causing him to roll off and attempt to quell the gushing blood from his nose before drawing the dagger out of his skin and standing.

"Emerson!" Beryl yelled and was infuriated when she was ignored at the men circled each other in a primal sort of dance before a life-or-death duel or sorts. "You will stop your squabbling this instance."

His eyes blazing with hate directed at both Malachite and her, he glanced at her. "Mother, shut the fuck up." And he turned, immersed in quick mental strategies that flew out the window when the general rushed him with a mad gleam in his eyes.

A simple disarming kick to the stomach, a slash of the throat or stabbing of the heart would have finished the fight in a matter of moments. But as he stepped aside to watch Malachite stumble slightly and whirl back around in even more fury—if that was possible—EJ felt a strange detachment to the fight, as though suddenly it didn't matter if he was beaten to a bloody pulp or not. Really, what was the point in all of this?

Malachite snarled at him, threatening as always but EJ paid no mind and simply stood there with his arms crossed and a bored expression on his face. "You killed the woman that I loved," he panted after rushing towards the prince and flying back to slam into the wall as a result of being kicked solidly in the stomach. "Maybe I should kill the woman you loved in return."

Beryl cackled at that. "My son loved no-one, Malachite. He is just as selfish and greedy as the rest of us."

With burning eyes, EJ turned to his mother with fresh hate. They were lies, he thought. All my memories are lies, just like Queen Serenity said. "You…you killed my father," he said, unaware that Malachite had drawn his magenta blades. "You made me turn my back on everything I loved."

Beryl cackled again. "That's where you're wrong, you fool! You gave up everything on your own. If you are planning on betrayal…"

EJ whirled when he caught her eyes flickering towards Malachite and the smile in them and barely had enough time to catch his wrists, his face beginning to burn almost immediately from the powerful energy within the blades. "You son of a bitch," he growled, not directed entirely at Malachite. "Why?"

"Because you were weak with the goodness inside you," Beryl answered. "You were certain that you were in love with a mortal and we had to make sure that you would be at your full potential." She winced when EJ drove his knee into Malachite's groin and used his own blades to cut off his head. Then the sliver of fear, infuriatingly foreign to her, slid down her spine when he looked at her, his face lightly splattered with the dead general's blood.

The fog, the utterly infuriating fog that had been in his mind and poking at the rage he'd held back for so long, lifted and he looked at her with the purest sense of hate and even pity. "I'm yours no longer," he told her and vanished as she yelled in fury.

"Ephyzal, find him and kill him!"

Ephyzal nodded and bowed. "I know one way to draw him out."

"Use it and bring back his head and the bracelet. We need the power of the Star Magic Crystal."

"Yes, my queen." This, he decided with perverse glee, was going to be fun.


	9. Chapter 9

_I do not own Sailor Moon or its characters. One more chapter!!_

Chapter Nine

She'd gone against her friend's wishes and chosen to walk alone in the dark. It was a recipe for disaster, she knew, but it was almost comforting as she walked at her own pace and used her imagination to conjure EJ walking beside her, his large hand holding hers with the other was comfortably around her shoulders.

She looked up where he would have been, where his handsome face would be turned down to be smiling at her and suffered heartbreak again and again when no-one was there.

"This is hopeless," she told herself, knowing she'd always hope for his return. "Why can't I stop?"

She jolted and screamed at the crashing sound in the park and rushed forward blindly when she heard a familiar groan. "EJ? EJ, is that you?"

Ephyzal walked out from the shadows, brushing away the branches and leaves from his grey uniform. "Well, if it isn't the princess of Venus," he sneered, his resentment from the past life just as strong as it had been. "Long time no see."

Mina immediately placed him and transformed. "You traitor!"

"Funny, that's just what your father said before I stabbed him with his own sword. Ironic, huh?"

"More like sick that you'd find that funny," she snapped. "Where's EJ?"

Ephyzal lifted a brow. "EJ? Ah, so you're the reason why he betrayed his own mother, bloodily murdered Zoisite and Malachite while they were all but defenseless?"

Mina's eyes widened when EJ silently approached Ephyzal from behind until he slid the dagger easily underneath the general's chin. "You know, if you're going to attempt to ruin my already shaky reputation with the lady," EJ said easily, "You might want to tell her something that would be unbeneficial for her and her friends."

"Murderer!" Ephyzal hissed and gulped when the dagger nicked his skin.

"Just like you and yours. I'll give you one chance to run back to Beryl."

"Like a coward? Never!" He shot out his hands and a dark smoke immediately surrounded Mina, crept into her when she let out a startled gasp and caused her to collapse. "She's dying from an eternal sleep, Emerson. Would you kill me and let her die?"

Fury blazed in his eyes as EJ released Ephyzal, only to grab him by the neck. "Wake her up or you'll die."

"If I die, only one thing can save her and you don't know what that is."

On a frustrated snarl, unaware that the Scouts had just approached, he squeezed the general's throat enough to break his windpipe and let him collapse, lifeless, onto the ground. "Mina, he's just…Shit!"

He had turned and saw that she was glowing an ethereal pink, a truly bad sign. "No, no, no, no, no!" he muttered rapidly as he knelt beside her, panic slipping through him recklessly. "Mina, wake up! Come on, he's not that powerful, the spell should've worn off when he died!" He brushed a trembling hand over her hair, jerked it back when a sharp, unbearable pain hit him at the contact.

He looked up at Amy. "What do I do?"

"I…I don't know."

Impulsively he took her hand, ignored the pain caused by the contact and looked at the ring. "Where…God," he muttered as he began to remember everything as it had been, blood trickling from his nose at the pressure caused in his mind. Tears leaked from his eyes as he remembered his cruelty to her and he lifted her onto his lap, cradled her.

"Mina, I'm so sorry! I remember everything that I did, what a bastard I was and I'm sorry. Please, forgive me!"

No response.

"I'll do anything you want me to. I'll go back to recording, I'll marry you as soon as you want, we'll have as many kids as you want. I'll do anything, just wake up!"

No response.

"She's fading away," Amy murmured to him from looking at her mini-computer. "Do something!"

He swiped away his tears and the trickle of blood and cradled the back of her head. "Please let this work," he muttered desperately as he lowered his mouth to hers.

Aching, unbearable pain flashed in him but he kept his eyes open as he pressed his lips to hers, praying desperately that her eyes would…Yes!

Her eyelids fluttered as the pink faded from her body, then snapped open as the black fog soared from her body and he released her, standing to take her with him.

"EJ? What…You…How?"

The pain had him fighting not to double over and he staggered over to a nearby tree to spit out the blood he was tasting in his mouth into the shadows. "Give me a second," he muttered and slid to the trunk of the tree, clutching his middle and groaning when a large black cloud poured from him and vanished on the wind. "That," he concluded in a relieved tone, "Sucked."

She stared at him as he stood and faced her with guilty regret on his face. "Are you really back? Really, really back? Because if you're just playing games with me, I don't think I could handle any more of-"

He thread his fingers through her hair, his eyes back to their clear golden state. "I'm really back." He looked over at the Scouts, who were eying him with distrust. "You have no idea how sorry I am for my actions. I swear I'll make it up to you somehow."

Amy stepped forward slightly, knowing he felt the guiltiest with her. "Just fight with us and not against us, okay?"

He smiled, grateful for the simplicity of the request. "I promise." He looked down at Mina. "Now, I think I've a need to kiss you again. It's been how long since I've really done so?"

"Nearly a month," she whispered and smiled with pure happiness when he gently kissed her. Everything was alright.

They broke apart when the earth rumbled and he immediately shifted her behind him. "She's coming," he told her and the others. "It's time for one last fight."

Serena braced herself. "Bring it on."

**_Chapter Ten: The Final Battle_**

**_plus: previews for my new stores!_**


	10. Final Chapter

_So it's all come to an end…I suppose this is a happy and sad occasion…Thank you to all my readers and reviewers who have supported me when I wanted to ditch this story (thank goodness I didn't, huh?) and I hope you find some of my other stories as interesting!_

_Peace and love you!!_

_Hrauthor87_

_Oh, and I don't own Sailor Moon or its characters. Just thought I should put that on there…_

**Chapter Ten**

The earth was rumbling, forcing them to attempt to keep their balance.

"Look!" Lita cried as a black wall of energy blocked their escape routes. "We're trapped."

"So is she," EJ returned with deadly calm.

"But she's not here," Raye exclaimed, her body, like the others', on guard.

EJ smirked slightly and drew his sword. "Yes, she is. She's hiding and waiting. I can feel her."

Mina touched a hand to his arm. "Where is she?"

"Shh. She's going to-"

He was cut short by the hissing sound and collapsed with the rest of the others. Though he couldn't hear them, he was somehow aware that they were yelling in terrible pain. Fearful pain.

Then he was immersed in a thick, cold and wet fog. "Mina? Mina, where are you?"

No response. Fear slicked through him. She could be hurt, could be dying. Where was she!?

His eyes flashed in anger. This had to be one of Beryl's tricks. Break them down so they wouldn't fight. Reach out for her with your mind, he thought. He had to try.

There was a glimmer in his mind, a flash of light and he pushed harder. He could feel sweat falling on his face and ignored it as he pushed with all his might and surged to his feet.

Mina stared up at him, fear in her eyes as she was brought to her own feet. "I thought I'd lost you! You were kneeling in front of Beryl, saying you didn't love me and-"

He took her in his arms. "I do love you and you'll never lose me. Help the others. Wake them up." He let her go and began to wake up the others, starting with Serena and Darien.

Soon, they were all standing once more and scanning the shadows for movement.

"It's quiet," EJ muttered. "Too quiet." He kept his grip on his sword light and ready as his own body was. "Don't think, everyone. Keep your mind blank."

Beryl let out a cackle as she appeared behind her son and had a dagger to his throat, a thin trickle of blood falling down. "Hello, my son."

He was silent, knowing if he talked he'd be even more deeply cut. But he let out a thin amount of breath when the clouds above opened up and heavy rain poured down on them. _This was going to suck_, he thought grimly.

"You betrayed me and I have no tolerance for traitors. Ah-ah-ah," she murmured when the Scouts stepped towards them. "You come any closer and you're pretty prince here will have his throat slashed."

He snarled and winked at Mina. Then he whirled, felt the skin on his throat cut as he blasted his mother at the middle with rapidly shot and powerful energy blasts. As she flew, slammed against the energy barrier and shrieked as her body was repeatedly shocked until she fell limply to the ground, he hurried to heal his cut.

Mina rushed at him, slipped on the mud. Any other situation and it would've been funny as he caught her and righted her. "You idiot, you could've been killed!" she exclaimed over the thunder.

"We'll argue about my battle tactics later," he replied when he saw Beryl get up from the other side of the battlefield. "You don't have the decency to die, do you?" he yelled to her, sword flashing when lightning struck nearby.

"I am immortal! You cannot kill me!"

Poison, his mind told him. You are filled with poison because of her. "Serena!"

She jogged up to him. "Yeah?"

"You can heal me. I need you to heal me from her poison. When I was born," he explained rapidly, speeding his words up when Beryl began to rush towards them, "I was automatically poisoned with her blood. Heal me and get rid of the poison and she'll be mortal."

Beryl was livid and it showed as she ran towards him, fingers convulsed into claws. "YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!!" She screamed and instead of attacking him, she used her magic to blasted the others into unconsciousness and shatter his sword.

"Bitch," he snarled as he blocked her magic blow with one hand, used the other to heal Serena and Mina. He needed her help badly. "You never know when to give up, do you?"

She smirked. "I could say the same thing for—hey!" She looked down at her singed arm, hanging useless at her side. "How is that possible?"

Come on, come on, he thought as he heard Serena begin to stir and focused on Mina. "Blood can destroy blood. Or in this case, injure." He blasted a leg and saw her struggle to stand up. "I'm going to kill you slowly so you know the pain that you've caused everyone else. When you know it, I think you'll finally deserve death."

Serena sighed and stood, her healing wand in hand. "Are you ready, EJ?"

He nodded and picked up his sword, which had pieced itself together. He dashed to the side and held it up, angled away his eyes so he wouldn't be blinded when the lightning struck his blade and made it glow with ethereal power. Moving quickly, knowing she was rapidly recovering, EJ stabbed his mother in the middle and held her there with a steely grip at her throat.

"NOW!!"

Serena nodded. "Moon…Cosmic…Healing…Power!"

He forced his eyes to stay open as the golden waves crashed onto him, sending his blood warm as his skin began to glow. So this is what it felt like, he thought as the poisonous evils in him were washed away.

Beryl let out a mighty screech as her immortality was ripped away with a _whooshing_ sound. Then the pain, the fiery pain, flashed in her as her skin began to peel away to reveal razor sharp bones and teeth. Her last sound was a guttural gurgle before her bones fell to the ground and vanished.

Mina moaned and looked up at EJ when he picked her up, back in his plain clothes as she was. "What…?"

"She's gone. For good this time," he said.

"How?"

"I sacrificed my magic that was evil so our ties were severed. With that connection to life gone, she was simple to kill. The credit goes to Serena for helping, though," he continued as the others slowly stood and de-transformed.

Serena blushed when Darien swept her up in a joyful kiss. "But you did most of the work."

"Maybe, but it doesn't matter." He grinned down at Mina and kissed her. "Come on. I have to go see my dog."

Mina laughed. "He's missed you."

"I'll get him a big steak," EJ promised and with that, they had disappeared.

The End

_**WAIT! I'M NOT DONE!!**_

_**Did you really think I'd leave it at that??**_

Epilogue

Serena fluttered around excitedly, her lavender bridesmaid dress shining in the overhead light. "I can't believe you're actually getting married! It seems only yesterday that we graduated!"

Mina laughed softly and smoothed what could have been an undetectable wrinkle in her wedding gown. "Technically it was a month ago. A month…" She sighed dreamily and looked down at her engagement ring. "I'm getting married today."

Amy smiled and offered her a tissue when her friend's eyes filled. "You'd better not start crying. There are photographers here."

Mina sniffled and nodded. "Okay, you're right. I'll cry after." She laughed and dabbed delicately at her wet eyes. "Thank you for all being here."

Raye chuckled and fought back her own tears. "You made all of us bridesmaids. We should thank you, right?"

"No, I mean for everything. For being my friends and supporting me throughout everything with EJ."

Amara shrugged and tried not to be completely uncomfortable in her dress. "Hey, what are friends for, huh?"

EJ shifted slightly in his tuxedo in front of the gazebo as the three-piece orchestra played softly. It was only right that they were going to get married at the cherry tree park. So much had happened here.

Darien smirked at him. In a few months he would be in his position. "Dude, you okay?"

Tommy nodded when his client—his friend—looked at them. "Seriously, you look nervous."

"I'm a little nervous, yeah. Jittery, I guess."

He nearly jumped out of his skin when the music signifying the bridesmaids and such entering began and smiled at the Scouts as they filed in and took their places. He could hear the few guests murmuring and went deaf and blind to them when the wedding march began.

His heart soared when Mina, dressed in a simple and elegant white gown that trailed the ground for only an inch and left her arms bare, started walking towards him. His eyes simply glowed with his love and his smile was full and ridiculously happy by the time she reached him and was helped up the steps by her father.

"Who gives this woman to this man?" the preacher asked.

Mr. Aino cleared his closed throat. "I do." He kissed Mina's cheek and let her be taken by the hand by EJ.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here…"

EJ caught the tear sliding down her cheek. "I love you," he mouthed.

Another tear down her cheek and she caught the one that had slipped from his eye. "I love you too," she mouthed back and smiled.

The photographer snapped a picture.

"Emerson Jasper King, do you take Mina Elizabeth Aino to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold in richer and in poorer, in sickness and in health, 'till death do you part?"

He smiled. "I do," he said, his voice breaking as another tear slid down his cheek.

Another picture taken and Mina felt her heart leap as he slid the simple golden band with three stones, a diamond, emerald, and ruby, lining it; the past, the present, and the future.

"Mina Elizabeth Aino, do you take Emerson Jasper King to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold in richer and in poorer, in sickness and in health, 'till death do you part?"

She was fully crying now, but happy tears. "I do. I do, I do, I do!" She slid on his simple gold band onto his own finger.

The crowd chuckled and cheered when they were officially proclaimed Mr. and Mrs. Emerson J. King.

"I love you," he murmured before kissing her.

Everything was perfect.

_**Really, this is The End now!**_


End file.
